beautiful pain

Aurelio had taken the death of his wife better than you might expect a husband of almost two decades to. He had met Marjorie when she was pregnant, a naive young woman who desperately needed help. And Leo had helped. Her daughter, Laura, he had treated as his own from the moment she was born. He loved his family, but it wasn't without it's faults. Marjorie often times found herself alone with Laura, wandering around one of the hotels they called home, whole Leo was god knows where, dealing with business.

Marjorie never minded though, because she had never really been in it for love. Laura's mom had always been more interested in Aurelio's bank accounts and never once asked questioned his fortune. To his family, Aurelio was a massive hotel owner, with buildings spanning all over the country and even a handful across seas. That alone would explain a sizeable fortune, but not Leo's. Behind the front of hotels, Aurelio was the Don of a large mafia family, mostly moving drugs in and out of the country.

But when Aurelio was home, he was very hands on with his family. He loved taking them out to shows, walks through the city, fancy dinners... Whatever they wanted. But Leo wasn't stupid and soon realized Marjorie wasn't as faithful to him as he believed. He let it go, though, instead focusing on his daughter. Because even if she wasn't truly his, he had raised her from the day she was born and as far as he was concerned, he was her father. That and she had stolen his heart from the moment he laid eyes on her. Aurelio kept Marjorie happy to keep his family together.

But as the young girl grew up, Leo slowly grew to detest his wife. Her golddigger ways became more and more obvious, as did her affairs. And with Leo needing to be away for business most of the time, he didn't like the idea of such a woman raising Laura. That might be a harsh thing to say about her mother, but he didn't want Laura to become a young woman holding those same kinds of morals. So, a few weeks before Laura's birthday, Aurelio had Marjorie's heroin laced. The timing might not have been the best, but the man was at his breaking point. He wanted Laura his and his alone, without the disgusting presence of that woman.

It had been two weeks since the funeral, and since Aurelio didn't want Laura to be alone for even a moment, he was allowing his right hand to run the business in his absence. With her mother gone, Leo was hopeful that he could stop hiding who he was from his daughter. But he'd take it all slowly. This was a huge change for the two of them and he knew Laura had to be heartbroken. And that's what hurt him the most. Nothing he could do would help make her feel better.

That evening, Leo decided that he had had enough. Laura had been hiding away in her room, mourning and that was to be expected. But Leo couldn't let her just waste away in her room. At some point, she'd have to come out. Knocking three times slowly against her bedroom door, Leo didn't necessarily wait for an answer before he started to push the door open. "Honey?" His voice was quiet, not wanting to startle her. His hand ran along the wall by the door and flicked the light on. "I was thinking tonight for dinner I could order pizza and we could watch a movie?" Leo wasn't really giving her an option, though, because even if she tried to refuse him, he wouldn't let her.

---

Bramble knew she had made a mistake when she lied to her dad. Knowing her friends wanted her to come to a college party, despite only being a sophomore in high school, but also knowing her dad would never agree... She told a little, small white lie. Through text, she had told him she was staying with Kelsey for the night. No more detail than that...

And she was certainly already paying the price for her actions. Bramble had never done anything like this. Never once had she lied to her father or snuck out, or drank or went to a party... But she just wanted to, just this once ... But now she was being shoved out of the back of someone's car, tears streaming down her face, smearing all of her makeup. At least they had brought her home, it could've been much worse... Much worse... But thinking about how much worse it could've been, didn't erase how she could still feel the man's hands all over her body.

Her head was spinning and she wondered if she'd been drugged too as she stumbled up onto the front porch. As she shoved through the door, her sides aching and her thighs shaking, part of her immediately wanted to shout for her dad. Run into his arms and cry and apologize and just make him comfort her, but... She also was terrified to tell him. He'd be so disappointed in her and ...he'd likely want to murder whoever it was. Major was a retired military lieutenant, now law enforcement. He was the last man you wanted to piss off.

Her small cries broke through the silence of the house as she tiptoed through the darkness, towards the stairs. If she could just get to the bathroom... Strip away her clothes, scrub her skin raw under scalding hot water... Then she'd feel better, she could pretend it never happened... Her body swayed as she slowly stepped through the house, her hand running along whatever wall was closest to her for balance. She shouldn't have went to the bathroom alone, she should've known better... Maybe if her mom was still alive, she would've been more conscious about these things. It wasn't like she talked to her father about boys or sex. They had a great relationship, but they didn't talk about those things.

Suddenly, the light in the kitchen flicked on and Bramble was caught in the hall by the opposite kitchen entrance. Slowly, she looked up to meet her father's gaze and tears immediately flooded down her face. Bramble looked like a mess, it was obvious something horrible had happened. Mascara ran down her face, her eyes were glazed over and dilated, her shirt was torn... She'd have to lie to him, say Kelsey forced her to go to the party... Bramble felt so nervous, her mouth opening and closing as she tried to explain to her dad what was happening, but instead she just felt vomit in the back of her throat.

"D-Dad-," she finally cried,.slowly stepping into the kitchen.

@ dezz
It really sucked, it felt like there was a huge hole in Laura's chest. It wasn't like she was really all that close to her mom, but still. The woman birthed her after all. She could have had her killed before she was even able to feel. She could have given her up, so, the woman must have cared even a little about Laura. Right? Although, there weren't really any memories that Laura could pull up of the woman caring about her. Being given to a babysitter so she could have her mommy time. Being shushed at cafe's as she talked to her friends about the newest gossip. The woman was very absent in Laura's life, even when her father was home and she was forced to speak to them. It was like she was in her own world.

So why? Why did it suddenly feel like Laura's life was completely empty now? Laura always told herself that she wasn't attached to her mom, as long as she had Leo in her life. She would be content. Would he even want her here though? Technically Laura wasn't anything to Leo, he hadn't signed adoption papers, so technically she was just a guest in his house, right? He could just throw her out the door and be done with her. He may have been one of the best things in Laura's life, but she would understand if he didn't want her. Hell, Laura wouldn't even want her because of how horrible her mother was. The cheating, gold digger, drug addict really wasn't someone anyone wanted to be related to, and the woman's blood ran through Laura's.

Hearing a knock on her door, Laura looked up from her laptop screed where she was watching a cooking video. A small groan escaped from her as the light was flicked on, her eyes burning from the sudden bright light. "Ow.." Laura groaned quietly and pulled her arms out from under the blanket as she rubbed her tired eyes. Her ears perked at the mention of pizza. "Tripple cheese pizza?" Laura asked as she lowered her arms and looked over towards Aurelio, betting her eyes at him. Even if he was thinking about kicking her out of his amazing homes, she hoped that he'd at least show her this small act of kindness before she was kicked out onto the streets.

Waiting for Aurelio to leave to order them pizza, Laura slowly slipped out of bed. Her bright green eyes caught her reflection in the mirror and caused her to freeze. God, she looked like shit. Dark circles were under her eyes from loss of sleep, her eyes were also red from crying even though she wasn't terribly sad and her body? She looked like she loses a little muscle mass. "I look like death," Laura mumbled quietly. Looking down at her wrinkly PJ's that she's practically been living in since the funeral, her fluffy grey Pj shorts didn't look bad, but her white tank top had a stain from where she spilled spaghetti-o's on her lap because it was too hot. "Meh, it's just dad." She mumbled and left her room to make sure that Leo didn't put on some boring movie.

----

As a parent, as a single parent, you develop a sixth sense for when things don't seem right. Usually, they're false alarms. Just being overly worried, but tonight. Something was nagging at Major as he read Bramble's text over and over. She had texted him saying that she was spending the night at a friend's house. Not called, like she usually did. She always called, making sure to tell him everything, so when she texted him instead. It felt like a stab in Major's heart. His little girl was growing up and didn't need him anymore. Was that what was happening? An ache in his heart kept Major up and he ended up not able to sleep. His bright blue eyes kept glancing towards his phone. Waiting, hoping that Bramble called him to say she was sorry for not calling. To say goodnight to him at least.

Glancing at the clock in the living room, Major saw that it was a little past nine. It wasn't really that late, but it was usually the time that he had Bramble put her phone down. Telling her that she had to be off that thing so she could sleep better. No texting, no games, and certainly no talking on the phone so late. Which meant that she wasn't going to be messaging him at all. Unless she was rebelling and was still on the thing at Kelsey's. Of course, she was, she was also probably on that thing after he's said goodnight to her as well. Bramble was a teenager, after all, she'd always go against him. In some way or form.

The sound of the door opening and closing caused Major to snap out of his thoughts. His head swiveled towards the front of the house as he listened. Soft footsteps, so not an intruder. No, an intruder would be a heaver guy, a girl wouldn't sneak into a house with lights, on the top floor. Guys were more reckless, kinda stupid. So, it had to be Bramble, but. If she decided to come home, why didn't she call him to pick her up? Standing from the couch, Major headed towards the kitchen silently and flicked the light on. "Bram?" He called, and the froze as his eyes laid on his little girl. His pride and joy.

As soon as Bramble took that one shaky step towards him, Major was on his way like when she was a toddler learning to walk. Closing the distance between them easily, Major brought Bramble into his arms and wrapped her up tightly. One of his hands moving to rest on the back of her head and one on her back as he held her to his chest. "Bram, what happaned?" He asked, his fatherly tone coming out, urging her to talk to him. "Did something happen? Did someone at Kelsey's hurt you?" He knew her friend had two older brothers, one was on probation for drugs, and the other he didn't know about yet. Pulling back slightly, a slight frown started to pull on Major's lips. "Baby." He murmured, seeing her eyes looked unfocused. Slowly, Major led Bramble towards the island and helped her sit. "What happaned?" He repeated, his hands resting on her shoulders to keep her steady.

Leo was at least relieved to find that Laura wasn't sleeping. How many times had he glanced into her room to find what looked like just a mass under all of her blankets. What was her small body curled up under the sheets. At least today, she was awake and doing something, even if it was just mindlessly staring at her laptop. "Of course, sweetie, if that's what you want." Leo's hand still lingered on the door knob as he hovered somewhere between the hall and Laura's bedroom. "I'll even order some of those cinnamon dunkers, for dessert, yeah? Hurry and meet me downstairs."

His eyes stayed on her for a few more moments, watching as she began to shift around under the blankets, pulling her hands free. Giving his daughter a small smile, he stepped fully back into the hall and slowly shut her door for some privacy. Leo knew where he wanted their relationship to go. Laura wasn't really his daughter, after all, and she could be everything he wanted. Everything that was good about her mother, without any of the bad. Laura was a spitting image of Marjorie, beautiful with nice curves, wide hips and an ass that he couldn't help but watch as she left a room. He could make her faithful, give her the world... Laura was his second chance.

Back downstairs, Leo called their favorite local pizza place and ordered exactly what Laura had requested. Triple cheese. With the order placed, he laid his phone down on the living room table before heading into the kitchen. From the fridge, he pulled himself a beer and one of the bottles of coke for Laura. It did feel a little weird knowing Marjorie wasn't around anymore, that she wasn't hidden away in her suite, snorting something in her bathroom or calling some strange man. Did he miss her, not even in the slightest. It was just weird to feel like his plan was actually in motion.

Bringing their drinks to the living room, Leo sank down on the couch before looking to see what was for rent. His eyes flickered over to the stairs when Laura emerged, finally from the depths of her cave. "Feel weird leaving your room?" He tried to tease, his knees spread apart as he made himself comfortable on the couch. "Come over here, sweet girl," Leo smiled, holding his arm out for her so she would know to sit by him. "Help me pick a movie, okay? Pizza will be here soon." His dark eyes drifted down Laura, first noting the spaghetti sauce stain on her top. Was she wearing a bra? He could clearly see her nipples through the fabric, mostly soft but still prominent. Fuck... He felt his cock pulse, and he quickly directly his gaze back to the tv. "Horror, comedy, musical, what are we feeling?"

---

Bramble his her face in his shoulder, sniffling as more tears poured from her eyes. This was all she'd wanted, from the second she felt like something was wrong at that party, to even when that man was on top of her. All she'd wanted was her dad to save her, but he couldn't have. He didn't know. She'd done this to herself. "I-I'm sorry," she choked out between sobs, desperately trying to catch her breath and calm down. She was on the verge of hyperventilating. Her hands wrapped around his sides, her nails digging into his skin under his thin shirt.

"I-I didn't m-mean to D-Dad-, pl-please don't be m-mad, I'm S-Sorry," she was so relieved he was holding her against his chest, too afraid to look up into his eyes as she admitted to him how she'd gone against his rules. If she'd only listened to him, none of this would be happened. "K-Kelsey wanted t-to go t-to a pa-party and I didn't know how to s-say no, D-Daddy, and-" Bramble felt so ashamed admitting all of this to him, but she didn't even know how to tell him what really happened. It had to be obvious, why her clothes were torn, the little bruised already showing up on her collar and her arms from how roughly she'd been thrown around. She felt so dirty, so slimy... "I didn't e-even drink, D-Dad- I swear, I didn't do anything, b-but..." That was all true, Bramble had been too afraid, too uncomfortable to drink, except for one sip. One sip had been too much, already turning her stomach from how anxious she was, but even sober, she couldn't fight off the man in the bathroom...

"I-I don't know who it was, daddy," she cried, mumbling into his shoulder as she sobbed, her whole body violently trembling in his arms. "I-I'm s-so sorry, pl-please d-dont be mad at me, please..." Her mind was racing and all Bramble could worry about was how upset her dad was going to be. Not about herself, or how hurt she was or how embarrassed, how she desperately needed a shower...

@ FallenHope95

@ dezz
Breathing in deeply through her nose, Laura let out a sigh that mixed with a yawn. Her arms stretching out at her sides as she walked down the stairs, moving slow and taking them one at a time. Her lips pursed together as she walked into the large living room of the penthouse that they were living in currently. "Humans scare me," Laura mumbled, playing along with Leo's teasing. A flicker of a smile playing along her lips before turning downwards into a frown.

Moving towards the couch, Laura moved towards where Aurelio her, but instead of sitting down she laid out across the couch and rested her top half against his chest as she brought an arm around his waist to hug him. Her head laying a little bit higher on his chest as she laid against her father. "I feel like torturing you," Laura mumbled quietly as she shifted her head to look up into the hazel eyes that she always enjoys having to watch her. "High School Musical?" Looking away, Laura let out another small yawn and squeezed Leo's stomach a little bit as she hugged him tightly during her hug. Her nipples brushing against him through his thin t-shirt for a moment or so.

"How was work?" Laura mumbled quietly after a couple of moments after the movie started to play. Her free hand was tucked against her chest as she laid, her fingers slowly moving and fiddling with the neck of her tank top. Locking herself in her room, Laura hasn't really talked with her dad. Distancing herself from him and what could possibly happen to her in the near future, yet. She felt like now was better than ever to ask him, she just needed to lead up to it.

----

It felt like a knife had just been slammed into Major's chest. His body couldn't help but stiffen as Bramble went on and on about what had happaned to her. About the party, how Kelsey wanted to go, and not doing anything bad. Bramble was a good girl, a smart girl, a pretty girl. She had her whole life in front of her and he was extremely proud of the woman that she was turning into. That she was becoming, this. This was just one terrible mistake, one that boiled inside of Major and made him rage like a bull that was pissed. Yet, as Bramble cried into his chest. HE couldn't raise his voice. He couldn't do anything but rub her back and make soothing shushing noises for her.

"Baby, baby, baby," Major mumbled over and over as he rubbed Brambles back and held her a little bit tighter against his chest for a moment before he released her and looked down into her beautiful eyes that resembled her mothers so much. "I will never be mad at you. Alright?" He mumbled as he wrapped his arms around her once more. "Do you want me to take you to the doctors? Are you hurt anywhere? Did someone force anything onto you?" He asked, his voice wavering slightly as he hoped that she wasn't hurt anywhere. Especially between her legs. The thought of a guy forcing himself onto his little girl pissed Major off completely.

"I'm just worried, baby girl. Worried for you." Major pressed a small kiss to the top of Bramble's forehead before he pulled back and looked down at her. A small sad smile playing across his lips. He really didn't know how to handle this situation. Never in his years did he ever think that he has to deal with this sort of thing with his daughter. Bramble was a smart cookie, she was brave and wise, and funny. This though, will this crack his little angel? Will she ever be as carefree as she was before? Major hoped so, he wouldn't be able to cope with losing another love in his life.

"Ugh, high school musical?" Leo groaned, even though he was already searching for the movie from one of the apps on their tv. Whatever Laura wanted to watch, he'd give in to. He didn't really plan on paying much attention to any thing that they put on anyways. "Only if you promise not to sing, okay? I don't think I'll even be able to handle their voices," he chuckled, looking down at his Laura as she got comfortable up against him. Leo's hand lifted to run through her hair, brushing the hair back away from her face as he admired her. So beautiful, just like her mother when she was younger. Her breasts pressing up against his chest had him feeling a little electric tingle in his groin, one that was almost impossible to ignore.

He wasn't expecting Laura to ask about his week at work. Not having really been as hands on lately, he knew everything was still fine, but talking to Laura about the hotel-front side... that was boring. "Oh you know, boring, nothing too interesting happening.. We do have a new hotel opening up in Paris..." Leo figured now was a good time to mention it, seeing as he did have the idea of them starting over.. A fresh new start, somewhere with new scenery. Visiting the new hotel would be the perfect excuse to get Laura out of the country with him. Why wouldn't she want to go? "So, in a few days or a week or so, we might be flying out for the grand opening." Leo didn't expect Laura to try to refuse him, so he relaxed into the couch and let his eyes flicker up to the television for a few seconds.

Letting out a soft sigh, gently grazing his tongue over his bottom lip, Leo dropped his gaze back down to the beauty resting against him. "Why don't you come up here and sit on dad's lap for a second? Remember how you used to?" He ran his fingers through her hair some more, his nails scratching against her scalp enough that he hoped it sent shivers down her spine.

---

Bramble couldn't help the way another sob broke in the back of her throat when her father asked if anyone had forced anything onto her. How was she supposed to tell him? How could she look at her father and tell him what some strange man had done to her in a bathroom? What was dried on her thighs? She hated how he forced her to look up into his eyes, trying her hardest to just melt into his chest and just disappear. She felt disgusting... "I..." Bramble's voice cracked, her lips dry and chapped. Bringing her hands up to her face, she wiped at the tears, smearing more black around her face. "I-I don't want to talk about it," the only answer she was able to give Major about what had happened to her.

"N-No, I-I don't want t-to go to anywhere..." She whispered, at least thankful that had a form of birth control. She wasn't worried at all about getting pregnant and she could go get herself checked out at the hospital later, without her father. That certainly wasn't something she wanted to drag him into. Her hands up his sides, her fingers digging into the material of his shirt. "I... just want to take a shower, dad," she whimpered, tears still falling down her face slowly. She wanted to wash away the evidence of what had happened to her.

Bramble slowly pulled away from his chest, though that wasn't what she wanted to do. He was so warm and comforting, but she felt so nasty... Her glazed over blue eyes looked up into his once more, feeling more tears pool to the front. Her hands still lingered on his sides though as she stayed there, frozen for a second. Her eyes fell down to the floor, unable to stop her body from shivering. "D-Dad, can I-I please stay home from school tomorrow?"

@ FallenHope95

@ dezz
This time, Laura couldn't help the small giggle that escaped form her and she had to hide her face in the soft fabric of Leo's shirt. To embarrassed that she found his words to amuse her. "I don't know if that was meant as an insult or a compliment," Laura mumbled against him before moving and resting the side of her head once again against his chest. Her eyes closing slightly as she watched the movie, and listened to the comforting sound of Leo's heartbeat in her ear that was pressed against him.

A small knot started to form in Laura's stomach as Aurelio started to speak about Paris. It's always been her dream to go there. The beautiful scenery, the amazing food, the language of love, Laura's begged to go on vacation there for years. Except things have always come up, wither with Leo's work or her mom didn't want to go on that long flight. So, hearing Aurelio say that now? That just felt like a low blow. Like he was offering her a slap to the face before asking her to leave before he returned from the grand opening. Except, it wasn't a slap to the face. A small gasp escaped from Laura as she turned her head to look up at Aurelio as he spoke. "Really?" She asked, grinning like crazy. "You want me to come with you?" She voiced her surprise, eyes twinkling a little. He wanted her to stay, he wasn't going to throw her into the system or something. "Of course I'll come!"

Happiness filled Laura as she rested against Aurelio's chest. Her stomach filling with butterflies knowing she wasn't being abandoned. Then, as his hand lowered to scratch her head. A strange feeling ran through Laura, straight to her core and she had to hide the shiver she felt by stretching her arms behind herself. "Like this?" Laura mumbled as she moved to straddle his waist and then leaned forward to rest her head against his shoulder. Bright green eyes looked up at Leo's hazel orbs as a smile finally graced her lips. Wrapping her arms loosely around his neck like she used to do, Laura leaned up and pressed a small kiss to Leo's cheek. "I was scared you were going to throw me out, now that mom's gone." Laura finally voiced her concern. Her body resting against Leo's, her crotch rubbing slightly against his groin as she got comfortable on him. "That's why I've been hiding in my room. I was scared."

----

A wave of anguish washed over Major as he listened to Bramble. She had what he had feared happened to her. Some little punk had decided to take advantage of his little girl. To force his baby to do things that she didn't want to do. That she wasn't ready for. If murder was legal, Major would grab the gun he kept locked in a safe in his room, and hunt the fucker down, then shoot him in the balls and then feed him the debris before he shot the fucker in the head. He was not one to show emotion on the job, but whenever it involved a loved one of his, he went off his rocker a little bit.

"Of course. You can stay home for the rest of the week if you want, baby girl." Major said as he offered Bramble a small smile. Then, he slowly took a step back and offered Bramble a hand to help her off of the bar stool that she had been sitting on. "Come on, let's go and get you cleaned up at least. Alright?" Major asked, offering a small smile to his little girl to show that he wasn't upset at her response. At least, not completely. Then, he slowly led Bramble up the stairs. He led her past her bedroom and into his. Then straight towards his private bathroom. "I'll go and grab you something, alright?" Major waited for Bramble to the response before he went to go and get some clean clothes for Bramble.

Walking into Bramble's room, a heavy sigh escaped from Major and he clenched his hands into fists. He wanted to hit something, he wanted to beat the shit out of something. He needed to get his fucking anger out and focus the shit onto something, anything. Storming over to Bramble's dresser, he tore open the top dresser and froze. Lace, silt, pattern, and plain panties. She had then all folded nicely, sorted by colors. His little angel had such good fucking taste and suddenly, a small sigh of relaxation escaped from him. Fuck, Bramble was turning into a woman right before his eyes. Reaching into the drawer, he pulled out a random pink plain pair and then closed the drawer. Then, he rummaged for a moment to grab some sweat pants and a shirt for his little girl before walking back to his room with the items. "Bram?" Major called calmly, feeling much better after having gotten a nice show of what Bramble hid under her clothing. Walking to the bathroom door, Major slowly pushed the door open. "I'm going to place your things on the counter, alright?"

Leo was ecstatic when Laura seemed excited about Paris. He knew she'd mentioned wanting to go before, but he'd never been sure how badly. Things never really worked out with the family traveling together because Marjorie never liked going on long flights. So normally, they went out to the beaches or shopping. But he'd never been on a trip alone with Laura. "Of course I want you to come, I'm not going to leave you home all alone." The way Laura's face lit up just made him feel so giddy, like he was doing something right. Like if he played his cards right, Laura would fall head over heels for him, easily.

She didn't even draw any concern when he asked her to shift positions. Instead, moving to sit in his lap easily, with her head against his shoulder. He wrapped his arms around her waist, his fingers gently resting against the curve of her ass. The soft fluffiness of her pajamas shorts felt so soft, he wouldn't to play with the waistband. The next thing she said though twisted his heart. Had he been that absent of a father that she thought he'd really throw her out on the streets since her mother was gone? He turned his head to look down at her, his brow pulling together. "What?" It broke his heart she'd think something like that, that she'd been hiding away in her room afraid if she came out...

"How could you think something like that, darling?" He wrapped his arms even tighter around her waist, hugging her firmly against his chest. "You know I've been here for you since before you were born? I helped take care of your mom months before your due date. I was there when she was picking out your name, you know?" He wondered if that would help to calm her nerves. "I could never turn my back on my little girl." Leo pressed a soft kiss to the side of her head.

---

Bramble took the stairs one at a time, her knees shaking so badly underneath of her she was afraid they'd give out. She kept her arm around her dad's waist tightly, hanging onto him for support until they made it to the second floor. She pulled away from him slightly as they walked into his bedroom, Bramble wondering for a moment why he brought her into his private bathroom. All she could think was that he wanted her to be as comfortable as possible and he did have a much spacier bathroom.

Stepping inside, Bramble looked up at herself in the mirror. "O-okay," she choked to her dad, listening as his footsteps disappeared out of the room. Bramble slowly started removing her clothes, dropping each piece onto the floor one at a time. Bruising was beginning to happen around her ribs and her hips, and she could remember exactly what each one was from. Turning towards her dad's bath, she eyed how large the bathtub was and decided she'd rather have a bath. She hoped that'd be okay with him.

By the time he was knocking back on the door, Bramble was already sinking into the water. It was bubbly and sudsy, and hot just how she liked it. She had a wash cloth between her thighs, scrubbing at the semen and blood, trying not think about how her first time had been completely ruined... Looking up at the door, she didn't feel the horrible need to cover up. It was her dad, after all, but she did try shielding her chest with her arm. "O-Okay, dad, th-thanks," she sniffled, still trying to calm down.

@ FallenHope95

@ dezz
A soft shaky breast escaped from Laura as she listened to Aurelio. Her eyes closed slowly as she tightened her hold on him slightly just as he had done for her. Burying her face into the crook of his neck, Laura could feel herself getting caught in the moment. A stray tear rolled down from her right eye. "I-I don't know." She mumbled quietly. "It-it all just sorta happaned and I got scared and mom always said how she wished I wasn't here. And then she'd tell me that you were only looking after me because of her an-" Laura breathed in deeply through her nose, help it, and then slowly exhaled it through her lips. She wasn't a cryer, well she was, but she hated it and told herself that she wasn't.

"I let mom get into my head," Laura mumbled quietly, squeezing her thighs as Leo squeezed her waist in a hug. A normal reaction to being squeezed of hers. "I don't want to speak ill of the dead, but she had a habit of talking down to me a lot." Laura mumbled, her body relaxing as she rested in Leo's arms. Safe, comfortable, warm, loved. "I'm sorry for thinking that you'd leave me." Laura leaned up a little and nuzzled into Leo's shoulder as she held onto his shoulders.

----

It practically killed Major, hearing how to hurt Bramble sounded. Stepping slowly into the bathroom, Major moved to place the clothing onto the counter, and then cast a glance towards the tub. His lips pursed together as he spotted her in the tub. A small frown appearing on his lips. "Do you want me to get you anything to help you sleep?" He asked, worry lacing his lips. He wasn't a girl, but he'd fucked her mom so he knew how it could be for the first time. He hadn't exactly been the softness to her, but that was because they were drunk and didn't realize what they were doing til he was firmly inside of her.

Slowly, Major ran his tongue over his bottom lips and went to his bathroom cabinet. Opening it, he pulled out a bottle of tylonal and then grabbed something that he never thought he'd offer his daughter. A bottle of numbing cream. "I'm going to put these on the counter for you, alright?" He chanced a glance at Bramber, taking in the sight of her in the bath. The soap suds just barely covering her cute little body. Then, he turned his back to her and slowly made his way to the door.

This wasn't the confession he'd been expecting from Laura. He always thought the girl adored her mother, that they had a good relationship. That just went to show how good of a manipulator Marjorie could be. It felt like a jab to the heart hearing that the woman had spoken so ill about him go her daughter, having her believe that Leo didn't really care for her. It boiled his blood and just reminded him of why he had gotten rid of the vile bitch to begin with.

His shoulders slouched as Laura rested against his chest and he could hear the want to cry in her voice. Her hands gripped his shoulders, her thighs tightening against his own legs, she was hugging onto him so tightly. "My poor girl," Leo frowned, his hands running up and down her back. "I had no idea your mother was telling you such lies... If I had..." He let his words trail off, not wanting to focus on such negative thoughts. The woman was gone, that's all that mattered. "I've always loved you as my own, your my own family, honey." Leo pulled back enough so that he could bring a hand up to Laura's chin, forcing her to look up at him. "I'll never leave you, but don't apologize for anything."

Leo pressed another kiss on her cheek, and then another one on her forehead, before his hands fell back to her hips. How she'd grown up right in front of him, he squeezed her hips gently, slowly shifting his hips up underneath of her.

---

Bramble looked up at her dad, not really paying attention to the things he sat down on the sink. She gave him a soft smile as he left the bathroom again. Sinking down into the water, Bramble relaxed until the water started to turn cold. Almost beginning to feel nothing. She washed her face and hair before pulling herself out of the bath. Drying her body off, she pulled on the shirt her father had brought before turning her attention to the medicines he'd taken from the cabinet. A pain reliever and a numbing cream... Her face heated up from embarrassment, but she took three pills anyway and applied some of the cream between her legs before pulling on her panties.

Tiptoeing out of the room, Bramble didn't like being in her father's room when he wasn't around. Her eyes scoped around the room on her way out, before she tiptoed back downstairs, finding him looking almost broken on the couch. She felt so guilty. The bath had made her feel a little better, certainly more fresh and the numb cream was cooking... Bramble felt too awkward to thank him for it though. Coming around to where he sat on the couch, Bramble slowly sank down onto his lap, leaning forward so her head rested against his chest, her arms wrapped around his neck.

"I love you, daddy," she whispered, closing her eyes as she laid against him. Everytime she closed her eyes she was reminded of how it felt to be thrown up against that bathroom sink... All she wanted was to stay in her dad's arms forever, where it was safe. "can I sleep with you tonight?"

@ FallenHope95

@ dezz
As Leo spoke and laid small kisses on her face, it caused a small smile to appear on Laura's lips. This is why she liked Leo better than her own mom. He was always kind to her, he always wanted to be around her. He didn't lie to her like her mom, or hand her off to someone else to watch. He spent time with her, he actually treated her like she had some worth in the world.

Feeling Aurelio shifting under him, Laura leaned back a little bit more. A look of worry filling her eyes as her lips slightly frowned once more. "Am I getting to heavy? Want me to get off of you?" She asked, a bit of warmth was starting to develop between her legs, but she didn't really know why. This was her stepdad, her body wouldn't react like that to him, right? He's seen her in her most embarrassing moments. In her saddest, and her happiest. He was also way older then her, no way would he be interested in her if things were actually different. Right?

If a man like Aurelio cared about Laura as much as she did him, she wouldn't be completely upset at the fact that he was attractive. Nor that he cared about her and not someone who wasn't here anymore, that was a rude, gold-digging bitch. A small sigh escaped from Laura as she melted against Leo as he assured her that she was fine on his lap. She leaned forward once more and pressed herself against him. Her chest against his, her head on his shoulder. "I forgot how comfortable you are to lay on," Laura mumbled quietly, her arms loosely around his shoulders as she laid against him. Her right hand slowly moved up and played with the small hairs on the back of his neck as she listened to the movie in the background.

Just as she was about to fall asleep, the intercom buzzed. Letting them know that the pizza was here.

----

Leaning back on the couch, Major could feel his body just give up. His little girl was upstairs, broken. Some college prick thought he could have an easy time with a young girl. Well, the kid had another thing coming because Major was a law enforcing asshole and when his little Bramble wasn't looking, he was going to take her clothes to work and find out who the fuck this guy was. Major was going to make sure that the prick's whole life was ruined by this little stunt. He didn't want this guy anywhere near kids, girls hell even elderly without people knowing what kind of a monster he was. That he is.

Hearing the slight creak of the stairs, Major knew that Bramble was out of his bathroom. He stayed where he was on the couch with his head laid back and his arms stretched out on the back of the couch. He stayed silent as he listened to her walking closer to him, almost like she was scared he was going to get up and jump her. Like what that prick had done to her. He wasn't though, Bramble was a beautiful young lady, but he knew how to control himself. He was a good man, he was a smart man, he was a protective man. "Hmm, I love you too Brams," Major mumbled as he slowly wrapped his arms around Bramble's waist. His eyes slowly opening and looking down at his little girl.

"f course, do you want me to have a movie playing in case you can't sleep?" He asked, trying to be considerate. Wanting to make sure that his little girl was distracted as much as possible. That she knew that she was and will always be safe in his presence. That she was loved. "I'll bring my weighted blanket out of the closet for you too. That thing is so warm and comforting." He tried to make Bramble smile, even a small one would help his broken heart feel better about everything..

Leo's head shot up towards the front door when the intercom buzzed through out the house, following by the door bell chiming. Turning his attention back to Laura, he squeezed her hips gently once more before forcing a smile onto his face. "Foods here!" Nudging the girl off of of him, he shifted her to his side on the couch before standing. Fixing his pants and smoothing out the material, he checked his back pocket for his wallet before going leaving to answer the door.

It already seemed liked Laura was enamored with him, he'd almost dare to say love, but he wasn't entirely sure. He wondered how long it'd take for his plan to start yielding fruit, but he knew by their first night in Paris he'd have her begging for him. So at the very latest, it would be a week. Leo tipped the delivery man before returning to the living room with the goodies he had ordered for the two of them. "Smells delicious, doesn't it? It's our favorite place from downtown." He sat the boxes down on the table before moving the smaller one filled with dessert rolls to the side. Leo opened the pizza box for Laura, but sat back on the couch, deciding he'd let her eat first.

His daughter looked exhausted, her eyelids heavy and he knew if she just a little more time to rest against him, she would've been asleep. "Just eat a little and then if you fall asleep, I'll take you to bed. Okay, princess?" He wondered how she'd react if she fell asleep here and woke up next to him, in his bed. The thought made his balls tight, feeling her little body pressed up against him all night long... Leo reached forward and grabbed a slice of pizza, the cheese stretching as he pulled it up.

---

Bramble sank against her dad's chest, her arms wrapping tighter around his torso, her face burying into his neck. All she wanted was to forget that this night had happened, to just feel taken care of for the moment. "Do you care?" She answered, not wanting to be left awake, in a dead silent room after he'd fall asleep. She didn't want to be alone, but she knew sleep wasn't going to come easy. Turning her head up to look at him, she was just relieved her dad hadn't gotten hooked up over the whole party thing. This whole situation could've gone entirely different, he could've gotten so mad, so pissed off... Could've blamed the whole thing on her, but he wasn't. And still, she had learned her lesson. Even if Major does ground her after this or not, Bramble was going to be too shaken up to ask to go anywhere for a long time anyway.

"Thanks Dad," she whispered, her light blue eyes glazed from tears as she gave him a small, tight smile. Bramble hid her face again in his chest for a second as she squeezed him in a tight hug. The numbing lotion was already seeming to work, Bramble wasn't noticing the ache between her legs as much as she got up off of her father. Taking his hand, she dragged him up off of the couch and towards the stairs, back up into his room. She hadn't slept in the same bed with her dad since she was in middle school, it had been years... But right now, it was all she wanted, to be tucked up against his side, safe in his arms. Letting go of his hand when they stepped into his room, she instantly went for his bed, crawling in under the blankets and making herself comfortable.

She was home, she was safe. Tonight could've went so much worse, but it hadn't. She could've been seriously hurt, but she wasn't... Grabbing the blankets around her, Bramble pulled them up around her sides, wrapping herself up in them as she waited for Major. She felt so guilty, knowing how easily she could've been killed tonight. Leaving her dad all alone. It made her feel so guilty. "I-I'm really s-sorry, dad," Bramble felt her voice crack as she watched him move around the bedroom.

@ FallenHope95

@ dezz
A tired groan of protest escaped from Laura as she was moved off of Leo's lap. She was so comfortable with him that she could have fallen asleep. She couldn't remember the last time she had laid on or against Leo. Years, it had been years. Sitting back on the couch, Laura rubbed her eyes tiredly. After having been worrying about her own fate for the past couple of weeks since her mother's passing, it felt like she was finally free. That Leo wasn't going to abandon her.

Snuggling into the corner of the couch, Laura relaxed and brought her legs onto the couch and crossed them over each other. Her hands resting in her lap as she watched Leo fix his pants and then going to get the food. A light pink tint covering her cheeks as she noticed a slight bulge in his pants, but didn't comment. Instead, she reached out for the coke that he had brought out for her and took a few quick gulps of the sugary drink. Doing her best to keep her mind out of the gutter "I can stay up way longer than you, don't dought by the ability to pull all-nighters." Laura teased in a challenging tone, sticking her chin out in mock rebellion as she leaned over and grabbed a slice of pizza. Then, as she leaned back into her cozy little corner a small moan escaped from Laura. "I'm going to miss this place," Laura mumbled as she munched on her pizza.

After stuffing three pieces of pizza into her mouth and one of those sweet cinnamon rolls, Laura's stomach felt like her stomach was about to explode. She was so full, so content. Her eyes hung heavily as she relaxed in her favorite little part of the couch, cocooned by the fluffy couch cushions. The movie wasn't even over yet, and Laura could feel her body losing the fight to not fall asleep. "I won't fall asleep, I won't fall asleep." She mumbled to herself as she focused on the TV.

---

One day, Bramble will be grown, and able to understand how nerve-wracking it is to see someone you care so much about making choices of their own. Learning from their mistakes, and dealing with the consequences. That was in the future though, that was not now nor will it be in the near future. Major will make sure of that. She will stay his little girl for as long as he could. He will take care of her for as long as he can. He was the man of the house after all. It was his job to protect, to comfort, to make sure that things were good for his little girl.

As they entered his bedroom, Major took the moment to watch Bramble as she moved to his bed and got comfortable. A small sad smile playing along his lips as he slowly turned and headed for the closet where he kept the weighted blanket when he wasn't in need of it. "It's alright, kiddo. There's nothing to be sorry for." Major said as he grabbed the blanket and carried the heavy thing to the bed. "Ah, this thing's gotten heavier. That, or I'm getting old." He glanced towards Bramble, the corner of his lips twitching as he looked to see if his teasing about his age would get a reaction out of her. Then, he got to work on unfolding the blanket and draping it over both of their sides on the bed.

Then, stretching his arms above his head, Major let out a small yawn to escape from his lips as he moved to the side of the bed that Bramble wasn't on. "What exactly are you sorry for baby girl?" Major asked, slipping under the blankets and laid on his side. Opening his arms, Major invited Bramble to come and snuggle with him. "You can't change things that have happaned, all you can do is focus on the future and bettering yourself. If you're sorry for something that you've done, then stop thinking about it. Don't let it define you, conquer the consequences. Show the world that you're a brave young girl and won't be knocked down so easily." Reaching down, Major tucked some hair behind Bramble's ear. A small smile playing across his lips.

By the time Leo was finished eating, there were only crusts left in the pizza box and one sweet cinnamon roll left. He loved pizza and it wasn't often they ordered something so greasy for delivery. Hell, he couldn't even remember the last time he sat down to dinner with his family, let alone a treat like delivery. Every time he looked over towards Laura, he could see her eyes growing heavier, her body sinking more and more into the couch. He tried not to outright stare at her, instead, just peeping at her from the corner of his eye. All he could think about was getting her up to his room, under the sheets of his own bed.

He could hear her little soft voice, commanding herself to stay awake, as if repeating the little mantra would actually have an effect. Leo leaned back against the couch himself, letting out a loud yawn as he stretched. Something that was surely not going to help Laura. He crossed his arms over his chest and relaxed, waiting patiently for her bright green eyes to fully close. Leo gave it about another fifteen minutes, making sure Laura didn't stir in her sleep, before he got up and scooped the young girl into his arms. Holding her close to his chest, he nudged his nose into her hair, pressing a soft kiss to her head. Her shampoo smelled like sandy beaches and coconuts.

Upstairs in his room, Leo kicked the door closed behind him and carried Laura over to the right side of his bed. Pulling the sheets down, he gently nestled Laura into the bed before loosely covering her with the blankets. It just seemed right to have her in his bed, in the space where her mom used to sleep. When they slept together. Leo took a step back and began to unbutton his shirt, undressing down to his boxers before quietly crawling into bed next to Laura. He knew he didn't have permission, that Laura was likely to wake up and freak out, but he was willing to risk it. Sliding up next to her, Leo hugged Laura close against his chest, pulling the cover up over his shoulders and closing his eyes.

---

Bramble felt so relieved when Major questioned her apology. It almost convinced her that he wasn't upset in the slightest. She crawled towards him, sinking against his chest and wrapping her arms around loosely around his waist. She was just so happy to be home, safe, with her dad. Tilting her head up, she sniffled, bringing her hand to her face to wipe at her tears. He always had something to say that would at least make her feel a little better. She leaned into his touch when he brushed back her hair and relaxed there for a moment before hiding her face in his neck again. "Love you, dad," she mumbled against his neck, forcing her eyes shut to try and fell asleep.

The next morning, Bramble disappeared out of bed before Major ever stirred. She ditched school, just like she had asked if she could, but she knew there were things she had to deal with. Her first stop was the local drug store so she could buy an emergency contraceptive, just in case and then after that, it was to the local health department. Just to make sure she was all okay. That ended up taking a lot longer than she expected, so when she arrived back home around three, Bramble made sure to have lunch with her.

"Dad?" She called through the house, wondering if he had gotten called out to work. "I brought home sandwiches?" Bramble was proud of herself for getting up that morning, getting dressed and even doing her makeup. All she had wanted to do was hide in bed, stay in her dad's arms all day, but she couldn't. That wasn't fair to him either. What happened to her would haunt her every time she closed her eyes, but that was something she'd have to carry by herself. "Dad, you still home?" Bramble called again, as she grabbed her coke and sat down at the dining table.

@ FallenHope95

@ dezz
She hadn't meant to fall asleep. Laura was so determined to stay awake, she drank most of her coke and had those cinnamon rolls so the sugar should have kept her awake. Instead, it seemed that it had the opposite effect. Laura crashed, she crashed so hard that she didn't even realize she had fallen asleep. One moment she had blinked her eyes, and the next she was laying in a bedroom. One that she didn't recognize right away. It took a couple of moments of slowly looking around for her to realize that it was her mom and Aurelio's bedroom that she was in. In their bed, with Leo's arm around her waist and her head resting on his chest.

A small sigh escaped from Laura as she laid still, contemplating what the hell had happened last night. She was on the couch watching a movie with Aurelio, they got pizza and then he must have carried her to bed. He must have been too tired to take her to her own bedroom on the other side of the hall. Yeah, that's why she was in here with him. Right? Breathing in deeply, Laura took in that relaxing cologn that Leo always wore that she adored and then slowly exhaled. Home, he smelled like home to her. Warm, and soft, yet strong and powerful. Eucalyptus and something else, she could never guess the other things in his cologn, but she knew the eucalyptus because she bought a pillow spray to help her sleep and it was one of the ingredients.

Feeling the shift in Aurelio's breathing, Laura slowly lifted her head and looked up towards the man who raised her. Her head still resting on his bare chest as she did so. "Morning." She mumbled quietly, slowly waking up more as she spoke. Slowly, Laura moved to sip up and blushed a little bit as she realized how tight of a hold he had on her. "Um, I need to go shower." She said quietly, glancing towards the door and then back towards Leo who seemed to be appearing more and more naked as she watching him sitting up in bed. Her bright green eyes took in his broad chest, rippling muscles and that small patch of hair right above his waistband. Quickly looking away, Laura blushed and pursed her lips together. She really shouldn't have looked there. This was her father, well sorta adopted father but still.

----

A heart attack would have been a better wake up call then waking up to an empty bed. Bramble had gone missing, she was laying next to him when he went to bed. Major was sure of it. His little girl had also snuggled up to him, being all clingy because of that fucked up shit that she had to go through. So, waking up without her in his arms was enough to but the ex-military new law enforcement man to freak out for a couple of moments. Major had gotten out of bed and was more than ready to call in a missing person when he realized that Bramble hadn't packed any of the suitcases that she had in her room, nor was she stupid enough to not pack anything if she was going to run away. So, just knowing that he raised a smart woman, was all that Major needed to relax. Slightly, he still had shit he needed to do. Shit that he wasn't in the slightest excited for.

Getting dressed, Major quickly put on a pair of faded jeans and a grey t-shirt. Just something casual since he was on PTO and grabbed a bag to put Bramble's ruined clothed in. Then, he quickly headed out towards his work to send in the evidence. Hopefully, he'd be home before she did because he really didn't want her to make a fuss about Major being overprotective or something. He wanted the punk that hurt his little girl arrested and charged, he didn't care at what cost. Then, once the report was made and Major was on his way home, he decided to get Bramble a little something. A box of her favorite chocolates that he usually only got her for Valentine's day or her birthday because they were so fucking expensive. Then again, they were all in house-made chocolates.

Just as Major got home, he saw Bramble walking into the house. A wave of relief washing over him, realizing that she hadn't run away like his original thought. That he was correct on the fact that she had just gone out for something. "Hey, I just got home as well Brams," Major said as he closed the front door behind himself. "Oh, yum. Thanks, honey." Major said as he walked over to his daughter and pressed a small kiss onto the side of her head. "Here, these are for you," Major said as he set the box of chocolates onto the table next to the food she brought. Then, Major went to the fridge to get himself water. "I was thinking." Major started as he grabbed his water bottle and turned towards Bramble who was setting out the food. "We could take a short trip to Marina, and watch the boats for a few and then get some dinner and ice cream. What do you think?" Major suggested, remembering the little town an hour away that always had boats moving through the harbor and had some of the best food either of them ever had before.

Aurelio slowly stirred, blinking slowly, just a few times at first. Sunlight was streaming into the room and Laura was already shifting around in his arms. Her head was still resting against his chest, her little soft voice pulling him from sleep. "Mmm," he grunted, letting his eyes fall closed again for a moment, his arm only tightening around her waist, pulling her closer against him. Leo was still in the thick of sleep, not quite realizing his surroundings yet. He knew Laura was in his arms and that was about it. The only other thing he could focus on was the little tingle in his groin and how it felt nice to press his erection into Laura's leg. Sleeping next to her had been much more enjoyable than sleeping next to her mother. There was no overbearing scent of alcohol, her body wasn't limp from the drugs she had taken.

Pulling his hand to his face, Leo rubbed his eyes one at a time and blinked a few more times. It took him a second to remember how he had brought Laura to his bed with him last night, in the hopes that she at least wouldn't freak out in the morning. That was a good sign, if she didn't wake up and lose her mind. That meant he could try to push more things on her, sooner. "Okay, sweetie," Leo mumbled, slowly pulling his arm away from her waist and giving her a little bit of space between the two of them. Leo pushed himself into a sitting position, propping himself up with the pillows behind his back. Finally with his eyes completely open, he looked over at Laura and gave her a sweet smile, hoping that would be enough to keep her calm. "Meet me downstairs for breakfast?"

Leo pushed the blankets off of him, not being very shy when it came to the growing bulge in his boxers. There was no chance she didn't feel it pressing against her, so what was the big deal if she saw? If she asked, it was only natural. Getting to his feet out of the bed, he stretched and moved over to his closet, pulling out a pair of jeans and a thin long sleeve shirt, before giving Laura a wink and disappearing into his bathroom. It seemed like everything was going just as he planned.

After a quick shower, Leo dressed and made his way downstairs. He could still hear Laura in the shower on his way down to the kitchen, so he decided to start on making one of her favorites. Banana pancakes with some bacon. He was quick to whip up the batter and slice up the bananas and get the bacon frying before he even heard her on the stairs.

---

Brambles jumped a little when she heard the front door, but then relaxed when she heard Major calling down the hall. She didn't even think to ask where he might've gone, just guessing it had something to do with his work. Turning around, Brambles was met with her father already next to her in the kitchen, pressing a soft kiss to the side of her head. She could barely follow him before he was laying the box of chocolates down on the table. Her eyes shot open at the little decorative box, knowing she only ever saw that gift around Valentines, sometimes Christmas. They were expensive. Brams felt little butterflies in her stomach as she picked up the box and fiddled with the little golden ribbon that kept it securely closed. "Wow," she breathed, feeling her heart sink into her stomach. "Thanks," her face blushed red, though she felt a little guilty knowing he was just trying to cheer her up. Still, Brambles sat the box down and moved over to the fridge to wrap her arm around her dad's waist and give him a little hug.

"Marina?" She asked, arching a brow as she looked up at him, her arms still around his waist. That sounded fun, just a day with her dad, out of town... A day to forget all about what happened and just reset. When was the last time she even spent a whole day with her dad? Excluding things like holidays and birthdays, he was usually always so busy, it was a treat to get enough time with him at dinner to watch a movie. Brams loved when he had PTO, they got to spend a lot more time together. "That sounds like a really good idea!" Her face lit up as she stepped back, suddenly relieved she wasn't going to just be stuck in the house all day long. "I'll go get changed!"

Brams vanished out of the kitchen, more than excited for the day that her father had suggested. It'd be a nice little road trip, the town was about an hour away, and the weather outside was perfect... Rifling through the top drawer of her dresser, Brams pulled on her favorite swimsuit, knowing her dad would want to get in the water once he was there. She pulled on ripped up skinny jeans over it and her plain adidas shoes. She grabbed a knitted cardigan to toss on over her shoulders, raked her curly brown hair up into a messy bun on top of her head and grabbed her sunglasses before heading back downstairs.

@ FallenHope95

@ dezz
Feeling the bed shift as Aurelio got up, Laura chanced another look back at him and felt her cheeks turn an even brighter pink color. Her bright green eyes moving towards his crotch where she embarrassingly couldn't look away from. Sure, she had felt something pressing against her, but she just thought that it was a clump of the blankets, but. Looking at what he was sporting made Laura realize that she was laying against something entirely different. Something that she had no experience with since she went to an all-girls private school. Then, for the briefest of moments, Laura's eyes trailed back up towards Leos and she saw that devious wink. He knew she was looking, and that alone caused Laura to want to bolt.

Once Aurelio walked towards his bathroom, it took Laura a couple of moments. Her eyes were stuck on the door to the bathroom, her mind swirling with confused thoughts of what the hell was going on. She had woken up with Aurelio, which could be easily explained. What he was sporting though, and the fact that it was pressed against her and she couldn't look away from it? What the hell? Something was wrong with Laura, she knew that. Shaking her head, Laura stood and headed out of Leo's room and headed towards the bathroom in the hall to shower. She needed to clear her head, things were already weird this morning and she needed a clear head. Hopefully, a hot shower would help with that. The steam getting rid of any weird thoughts that might run through her mind.

About twenty minutes later, Laura stepped out of the bathroom. Dressed in one of her favorite outfits and headed down towards the kitchen where she could smell something amazing cooking. "What's the occasion?" Laura asked, a little skeptical since she hadn't seen Leo in the kitchen very often. Plus, he even knew her favorite breakfast items. Stepping into the kitchen slowly, Laura went to the coffee pot and stood on her tippy toes as she checked to see if there were any grinds in the filter before she relaxed back and turned the machine on. Her focus slowly turning towards Leo as she nervously bit her bottom lip. "Sorry, about this morning," Laura mumbled quietly, looking away and looking anywhere but towards Aurelio. "I've never seen a guy so underdressed before so I couldn't help but to stare and then I saw it and um. Sorry. It won't happen again, I know it was weird and uh.." Laura pressed her lips together. No idea what else to say.

----

It warmed Major's heart considerably as he felt Bramble's arms wrap around his waist. Her sweet words of appreciation. These were the moments that he lived for. That he craved. Bramble wasn't the young girl she used to be, last night proved that, but by damn did she still feel like that when she wrapped those arms around his waist. There was nothing Major enjoyed more, then those arms of the girl he's raised on his own wrapped around him. Those breasts that he watched grown, felt so nice against his rock hard chest. Those beautiful eyes looking deep into his as if he was the best human in the world. Bramble was like a little goddess and Major wanted nothing more than to kneel and worship her. Her body, her soul, all of her. It was Major's dream to protect and serve a beautiful woman once more and Bramble, she was the goddess that he wanted to be with. As weird as that might be, he wanted it. No matter how fucked up that sounded.

Then, the moment was gone and Major watched as Bramble rushed out of the room. His eyes trailing that perky little ass of hers as she practically ran to go and get ready. An ass that's already been touched and grabbed by someone that wasn't him. Someone that wasn't worthy of his little girl. By someone who Major was going to make sure got locked up for many years with little to no chance for parole. No one harmed his little Bramble without facing consequences. No one. Slowly, Major ran his tongue over his lips, he really had no idea where these thoughts came from, but, he also had no interest in pushing them away. Bramble was his responsibility, she was going to always be his responsibility. Always.

Finally leaving the kitchen, Major walked up towards his room and changed out of his jeans. Instead of slipping on a pair of black swim shorts. It was too much of a hassle to find pants to go on over them, besides, they had pockets. So he didn't need any other kind of clothing on his legs. Grabbing a pair of sandals, Major walked out of his room and went to the hall closet. Grabbing them some towels as well as some sunscreen so that they didn't burn while they were out. "Hey Bram, do we need anything besides towels and sunscreen?" Major called, not sure where his little girl was in the house. His mind was drawing a blank and he knew that she'd remember something they'd need. Women were smart like that, always thinking about the little things.

Leo looked up from the stove, catching himself staring at Laura's legs as she came into the kitchen. The little blue jean shorts were riding high up her thighs, giving him quite a show. "No occasion," he answered, licking over his bottom lip as he returned his attention to the pancake he was frying. Watching the little bubbles come up in the batter, he slid the spatula under the cake and flipped it. "Just figured I'd make something to hopefully put a smile on that pretty little face." He watched her tiptoe over to the coffee pot out of the corner of his eye, watching her ass as she started brewing the coffee.

He wasn't ready for what came out of her mouth next. Leo expected Laura to just bite her tongue on the matter, to be too shy to bring it up. But here she was, bringing it up. And she was stumbling all over her words to, barely able to string them together in a full sentence. Poor thing. Leo slowly laid the spatula down next to the stove and grabbed the towel he had with him to clean his hands off. "You don't need to apologize, sweetie. Was it weird for you?" Leo eyed her across the kitchen, deciding to take the concerned father approach. "It's something new isn't it, to you? Men usually wake up with an erection, I'm sorry if I startled you."

Damnit. Leo didn't want Laura feeling weird, or uncomfortable. That wasn't going to help him get her back in his bed again. His eyes flickered back down to the stove and he scooped the fifth pancake onto a plate. Now with all the bacon, it was all done. Turning off the hob, Leo took three pancakes and gave Laura's plate two and split the bacon evenly. Drizzling syrup over their pancakes, he brought the plates to the table and sat them down before getting the orange juice from the fridge. "Foods done, so need to worry about it anymore, right?" He pulled her chair out and motioned for her to come sit. Not liking how she was just standing frozen in the kitchen, clearly nervous. He needed her to be comfortable around him.

---

Bramble heard him calling from the hall and grabbed a large tote she kept for such occasions and met him. He was fumbling through the hall closet, searching for beach towels and oddly, the sight warmed her right to the core. "Here," she smiled, taking the towels and the sunscreen from him. Tucking them away in in her bag, she looked him up and down and pursed her lips. "You have sunglasses?" Bramble already had other small things like Tylenol and chapstick in her purse and as far as she was concerned, they had everything they needed.

Soon, they were out the door and on the road in Major's truck. Bramble sat back against the seat, her legs curled up underneath of her, picking away at some of the chocolate Major had bought for her. It was such a beautiful day, the sky was clear and birds were chirping and singing their songs, it was all perfect. Bramble looked towards her dad and wondered if times like this he really missed mom. She had been so young when her mom passed that Bramble didn't find herself missing her often, but at times like this it was certainly hard to ignore.

"Want a piece, dad?" Bramble held up a piece of chocolate from the box. Perfect milk chocolate with a salty peanut butter inside. Her favorite. Leaning towards Major, she held the broken off bit of chocolate up to his lips. The radio played a rock station softly in the background and Bramble knew they were almost to Marina. They'd already been driving for almost half an hour. Bramble scanned down Major's chest, her eyes running down his legs, seemingly noticing just now how large her father was. His thighs were size of tree trunks, absolutely massive. A bit of a blush ran along Bramble's cheeks.

@ FallenHope95

@ dezz
Keeping her eyes on the coffee as it started to slowly drip into the pot, Laura's lips pursed. A hint of a smile playing along her lips. She loved it when Aurelio complimented her, it made little butterflies flutter in her stomach. Sure, she's gotten compliments from boys she's met when hanging out with her friends, but when it comes from Leo, it just feels like they're not empty. Bringing her bottom lip between her lips, Laura only gave a small nervous smile in return. It was hard to hide her excitement over having breakfast together. It's felt like ages since they've been in the kitchen together.

Slowly, shifting her gaze up towards Aurelio Laura kept her bottom lip between her teeth as she listened to him. Slowly biting down on her lip as she thought about what he was saying to her. It was a natural reaction for a guy to wake up like that. It wasn't out of the ordinary. How did it actually make her feel? "Y-you didn't weird me out!" Laura rushed out, not wanting to seem like she was scared, or anything. "I-I just wasn't expecting it." She removed her eyes from Leo as she got to work on getting some mugs out in case he wanted coffee with his breakfast as well. Then, pulled one out for herself because some coffee with caramel cream was her favorite.

Holding the mugs by the handle in one hand and the pot's handle in the other, Laura moved towards the table and set the pot in the middle of the table on the little cloth before sitting down on the chair that Aurelio had pulled out for her. "Thank you," Laura said quietly, accepting that it was the end of the awkward conversation. Scooting in, Laura ran her eyes over her food and grinned a little. "Everything smells amazing." She said as she poured them both a small cup of coffee to go with everything. Then, she started to cut up her pancakes.

----

A feeling of relief washed over Major as he saw Bramble coming towards him with a tote. He would of just shoved everything into the back seat and called it a day. Leave it to his little girl to realize a bag would keep things more organized. "Uhh, I think I have a pair in my truck," Major mumbled as he cases one more glance towards the closet to make sure that he had grabbed them everything that they would have needed from the little storage area in the house. "That's it then, I guess?" Major mumbled quietly as he closed the door and then followed his little girl out of the house.

Getting into the truck, Major looked in the middle compartment between the two front seats and found his sunglasses. They were the ones with the dark sort of iridescent eye pieces so no one could see where his eyes were looking. Making him seem more intimidating then what he actually was as well. He loved freaking people out, especially when he was with Bram, she was his and no one else was going to lay a hand on her again. Starting the truck, Major did his best to focus on the road and not the beautiful girl that was next to him. "Hm?" Major mumbled as he was snapped out of his thoughts by BRamble. His head shifted towards her for a moment and noticed the offered chocolate. "Thanks, babe," Major mumbled slightly distracted as he leaned over quickly and wrapped his lips lightly around the tips of her fingers and ran his tongue along the bottom of her fingers as he took the chocolate into his mouth.

"God, those are good chocolates," Major mumbled as he ate the chocolate, not realizing what he had done as he took the sweet treat. Pulling into the town, Major looked around for a spot to park so that they could walk around. Then, as he pulled into a spot, Major looked over to Bramble. "What first, swimming, or actual food?" He asked, wanting Bramble to make the decision for them. "I'm going to say a definite no on getting ice cream first though." He had to throw a bit of parenting into this little date of theirs.

@ dezz
Keeping her eyes on the coffee as it started to slowly drip into the pot, Laura's lips pursed. A hint of a smile playing along her lips. She loved it when Aurelio complimented her, it made little butterflies flutter in her stomach. Sure, she's gotten compliments from boys she's met when hanging out with her friends, but when it comes from Leo, it just feels like they're not empty. Bringing her bottom lip between her lips, Laura only gave a small nervous smile in return. It was hard to hide her excitement over having breakfast together. It's felt like ages since they've been in the kitchen together.

Slowly, shifting her gaze up towards Aurelio Laura kept her bottom lip between her teeth as she listened to him. Slowly biting down on her lip as she thought about what he was saying to her. It was a natural reaction for a guy to wake up like that. It wasn't out of the ordinary. How did it actually make her feel? "Y-you didn't weird me out!" Laura rushed out, not wanting to seem like she was scared, or anything. "I-I just wasn't expecting it." She removed her eyes from Leo as she got to work on getting some mugs out in case he wanted coffee with his breakfast as well. Then, pulled one out for herself because some coffee with caramel cream was her favorite.

Holding the mugs by the handle in one hand and the pot's handle in the other, Laura moved towards the table and set the pot in the middle of the table on the little cloth before sitting down on the chair that Aurelio had pulled out for her. "Thank you," Laura said quietly, accepting that it was the end of the awkward conversation. Scooting in, Laura ran her eyes over her food and grinned a little. "Everything smells amazing." She said as she poured them both a small cup of coffee to go with everything. Then, she started to cut up her pancakes.

----

A feeling of relief washed over Major as he saw Bramble coming towards him with a tote. He would of just shoved everything into the back seat and called it a day. Leave it to his little girl to realize a bag would keep things more organized. "Uhh, I think I have a pair in my truck," Major mumbled as he cases one more glance towards the closet to make sure that he had grabbed them everything that they would have needed from the little storage area in the house. "That's it then, I guess?" Major mumbled quietly as he closed the door and then followed his little girl out of the house.

Getting into the truck, Major looked in the middle compartment between the two front seats and found his sunglasses. They were the ones with the dark sort of iridescent eye pieces so no one could see where his eyes were looking. Making him seem more intimidating then what he actually was as well. He loved freaking people out, especially when he was with Bram, she was his and no one else was going to lay a hand on her again. Starting the truck, Major did his best to focus on the road and not the beautiful girl that was next to him. "Hm?" Major mumbled as he was snapped out of his thoughts by BRamble. His head shifted towards her for a moment and noticed the offered chocolate. "Thanks, babe," Major mumbled slightly distracted as he leaned over quickly and wrapped his lips lightly around the tips of her fingers and ran his tongue along the bottom of her fingers as he took the chocolate into his mouth.

"God, those are good chocolates," Major mumbled as he ate the chocolate, not realizing what he had done as he took the sweet treat. Pulling into the town, Major looked around for a spot to park so that they could walk around. Then, as he pulled into a spot, Major looked over to Bramble. "What first, swimming, or actual food?" He asked, wanting Bramble to make the decision for them. "I'm going to say a definite no on getting ice cream first though." He had to throw a bit of parenting into this little date of theirs.