we are fallen

Evan, nineteen, immortal. Will you share your life with me for the next ten minutes?

[evan--maxwell]

miss-lindsay-campbell:

“What do you think mommy?” Alice’s expression was serious, as if they were deciding the future of humanity. She cared so deeply about everything, and Lindsay loved that trait she shared with her father. The mother hummed, walking further into the bedroom. “I like this one,” she decided, grabbing one of the dresses from him, allowing her fingers to brush Evan’s. “You haven’t worn it yet, don’t you think it would be fun to wear a new dress?” She tore her eyes off their daughter shortly, facing her boyfriend. “You both know we still have a few hours before we have to start getting ready, don’t you?”

Evan was grateful not to have to solve this dilemma, not wanting to lean into the patriarchal stereotype, but also knowing full well that he knew nothing of dresses. What he could say with certainty, though, was that Alice would look beautiful in either. With the brush of Lindsay’s fingers against his, he stood up and took his daily appreciation of his family. His sloppy smile broadcasting to the room How did I get so lucky? “Oh! That’s true, Mommy!” Alice jumped up and down once. “Thank you!” She beamed, hugging Lindsay’s leg before she ran back over to Evan so he could unzip the current, more casual dress she wore. “Uh...” Evan began, taking one hand from Alice’s clothes to tap the home button of his phone. The time blatantly telling the family that their hours to get ready were quickly disintegrating. “We have to leave at five right?” He also wasn’t dressed either. “Alice, can you get dressed all by yourself so Mommy and I can get ready? I’ve got to put my purple dress on,” he teased once more. 

[evan--maxwell]

miss-lindsay-campbell:

Lindsay bit down a laugh, amused as Evan decided to keep the charade going. Alice’s gasp, however, made it impossible not to grin. The brunette watched their daughter march toward her, feeling her muscle memory kick in Lindsay had to hold herself from picking Alice up. She was getting a little too big for that, not that that ever stopped her parents from spoiling her whenever she wanted to be held up. “Let’s see if we can talk Daddy into wearing a suit or something, maybe we’ll even convince him to wear a tie that matches your dress!” Lindsay beamed at Alice before tapping her nose. “What seems to be the crisis over here?” She rested her hand on Alice’s shoulder as the toddler leaned against her, looking up to meet Evan’s familiar green eyes. 

Evan met Lindsay’s grin with his own, dropping the dresses onto his lap so he could pet Mac who had wandered over to the family. He watched Alice’s expression as Lindsay spoke, seeing how she lit up at the idea of the two of them matching. She giggled when Lindsay touched her nose. “Alice was having trouble deciding which dress to wear,” Evan said finally, ending their skit. He raised his arms again so Lindsay could see both choices and felt Mac’s fur against his arm. 

[evan--maxwell]

miss-lindsay-campbell:

Before Evan’s voice was heard through the big house, Mac raised his head off Lindsay’s lap, sniffing into their direction. It was incredible how the enormous dog always seemed to predict when his presence would be required, and since he usually shadowed Lindsay around he, was also very good at predicting when she was being called. “Coming!” She called back, standing up from the couch she had been reading for the last couple hours. Her barefoot feet carried her upstairs, Mac meeting her leisure walk as they made their way to Alice’s room. Once they were inside the dog kept going, laying down on his favorite corner of the room. “Oh Evan,” Lindsay let out as she leaned against the door frame, winking an eye to Alice before locking eyes with her boyfriend. “I don’t think purple is really your color.”

Evan smiled at the carpet beneath him when he heard Lindsay’s sweet response from downstairs then the familiar patter of Mac’s paws on the steps. Alice brushed her fingers through their dog’s fur when he walked past her to his corner. Then, Alice returned to the business in front of her, still toying with the two dresses. “Hm?” Evan asked Lindsay when she spoke his name before he watched Lindsay wink. He pretended like he hadn’t though, tilting his head when she uttered her critique. “You don’t think so?” Evan asked, shifting in his spot on the floor to sit criss-cross-applesauce like Alice. “Alice here told these would look great on me.” Their daughter echoed with a tiny gasp, standing up to march over to Lindsay. “I never said that Mommy,” she laughed. “These dresses wouldn’t fit Daddy.” 

[evan--maxwell]

“Okay. This one,” Evan raised one small purple dress in his right hand– “or this one?” and another in his left. He watched Alice’s eyebrows furrow in deep consideration. He could almost see her thought process as she imagined herself dancing in the left hand dress first and then the right. Evan smiled because he’d seen Lindsay mull over decisions in a strikingly similar way. “I don’t know,” she pouted lightly, sitting back on her heels. “Where’s Mom for consultation?” Evan chuckled, unfazed by Alice’s enormous vocabulary. “Linds?” He shouted affectionately. “You don’t trust me for fashion advice?” He asked Alice, pretending to be remarkably offended. “Nope,” his daughter answered him quickly, crinkling her nose and when she smiled, shaking her head. 

[isabelle-grant]

Isabelle rubbed her temple, feeling exhausted seep through her body as she leaned against the bench, staring out at the park, letting her legs stretch out in front of her. “If you’re trying to scare me, try again in the next two hours where I feel like a sleep deprived person.”

[evan--maxwell]

Evan pulled the headphones from his ears when he stopped running to hear Isabelle. He tilted his head, eyebrows bunched when she spoke. “I wasn’t trying to scare you,” he told her truthfully, hoping not to seem dismissive. He started to coil the headphone’s chord, Isabelle’s words prying his concern. “Are you alright?” 

[miss-lindsay-campbell]

It was home and it was perfect to have Evan kissing her forehead, his whisper reaching her ears only as it brought a happy smile to her lips. The apologies tumbled on her tongue, she wanted to tell him how sorry she was for leaving, for the missed calls, for not having time for them when they went for a visit. But Mac interrupted and Lindsay allowed herself to be pulled towards the gigantic dog. She let go of Evan’s hand to kneel down and pet Mac enthusiastically. “Aw, I missed you too buddy,” she chuckled as he nuzzled her, standing up at Alice’s words. “It’s lovely! We should go by the pet store tomorrow and have them make one just like that one!” She followed her family to her room, smiling widely at the familiar furniture. She walked to her closet and grabbed a pair of shorts and one of Evan’s shirts. “I’m gonna go change while you two put on the DVD, alright?”

[evan--maxwell]

Alice perked at Lindsay’s idea and gasped slightly behind her big smile. “They can do that?” She asked wide-eyed when Evan scooped her into his arms and answered her yes, tickling her tummy to elicit Alice’s infectious giggle. “Okay,” Evan replied to Lindsay, kissing her hair lovingly when she passed the pair. “I want a piggyback ride to the TV please Daddy.” And Evan complied, smiling when he transferred Alice to his back. She laughed again placing Mac’s paper dog collar on Evan’s head. “Now you can have a crown like Mommy.” Evan chuckled, kissing Alice’s knee that rested on his shoulder. He kneeled to put in the DVD, glowing under the TV’s blue light of Disney’s castle. 

[miss-lindsay-campbell]

“Yes we can, I love Hercules!” Lindsay chuckled at Evan’s soft protest, but she couldn’t say no to her daughter’s enthusiasm. “Daddy gets to pick the next movie though, alright poppyseed?” Alice nodded and beamed at Evan as if to promise. Reluctantly, Lindsay set down Alice and ushered to her room. “Go and put your pjs, baby.” Proudly, Alice ran off to her bedroom and Lindsay turned to Evan, hugging him from behind. “It’s so good to be home,” she murmured against him. 

[evan--maxwell]

Evan’s eyes stayed with Alice until he couldn’t see her anymore, feeling Lindsay’s arms around his firm chest. He turned to face her, kissing her forehead softly. “So glad you’re back, Linds,” he returned just as quietly. An eager whine echoed from behind their cabin’s back door next and Evan smiled, sliding his hand to hold Lindsay’s. “Somebody else missed you a whole lot,” he told her, pulling his girlfriend towards Mac’s greeting. “He got even bigger, if you can believe it.” Evan let their big dog inside and he charged like a friendly thunderstorm in Lindsay’s direction, nuzzling his head against her legs. “I made Macky his own collar,” Alice shared proudly from behind them, now wearing her pinkest footy pajamas, holding a glittery paper dog collar in one hand and Hercule’s DVD case in the other. 

[miss-lindsay-campbell]

Lindsay had just seen her family, they were there for the Graduation ceremony and they had gone to dinner right after, before Evan had to go away for work and Lindsay had to stay behind to get everything ready for her departure; it didn’t mean she hadn’t missed her family like crazy. While locking the doors, she had thought of the apartment where she had spent the last two months, the luxurious furniture, the silent rooms, there was not a single thing she would miss. As she pushed open the door to her cabin, she was hit with the million fond memories she had lived there, that was the home she had been missing. 

“Poppyseed!” She dropped her bags, kneeling down to meet Alice’s embrace. Chuckling, she accepted the crown and placed it on her head, picking up her daughter afterwards. She knew it was only on her mind, but she could swear Alice had gotten bigger on the past three days. She hated herself for having lost two months of Alice, of her only chance of being a mother. But those thoughts soon disappeared from her mind when she saw Evan’s smile. Lindsay kissed him fondly, smiling wide at the vision of the cookies. “Yummy!” she congratulated Alice. “You know what we should do? We all should put on pj’s and eat cookies while we watch Disney movies.”

[evan--maxwell]

After Lindsay returned his affection, her lips leaving his, Evan picked up the bags she’d dropped. The cabin seemed to fill with confetti, light bathing the wooden walls because Lindsay was home. She brought sunshine with her and Alice reveled in it, beaming at her mother and her idea for the night that, to Alice and Evan, seemed perfect. “Yes!” Alice cheered, bouncing in Lindsay’s arms. “Can we watch Hercules?” Evan smiled to the floorboards. “That would be like the fifth time you’ve watched it this week!” He reminded her fondly, starting for Lindsay’s room to put down her luggage. Alice hadn’t changed her mind when she looked back at her mom. She giggled. “Can we?” Evan reentered the main room, empty-handed now. He took in his family: the princess lawyer and the bouncing blonde and leaned against the couch beside them. “Are you hungry, Linds, or will cookies do the trick?” 

[miss-lindsay-campbell]

“I am sorry I just disappeared on you guys, school was too much on the last semester to do it online,” Lindsay apologized for the millionth time. “But I am back! I am a lawyer! And I’m willing to bake anything so you’ll forgive me.”

[evan--maxwell]

“Mommy!” Alice shouted loudly and sweetly enough that even Evan’s heart warmed at her greeting. She sprinted to her mother, arms outstretched, asking to be picked up. In her small right hand she held a construction paper crown on which she had written ‘lawyer’ for the whole word to know all that her mom had accomplished. She presented it to her mom, beaming wildly. “This is for you, Mommy.” Evan found Lindsay shortly after. Smiling so his cheeks grew little wrinkles by his lips, he felt validated in how happy he was to see her home. He stepped closer to place his hand on her back and kiss her lips. “Baking. We will hold you to that, counselor, but the first round’s on us,” he declared, raising a paper bag that held cookies Evan and Alice had made (with a little help from a mix) so Lindsay could see them. 

[miss-lindsay-campbell]

“Bye Court! And thank you again,” Lindsay said her goodbyes with a smile, and Lindsay held tight onto her auntie’s leg for a moment before Courtney left. The writer welcomed Evan’s kiss with enthusiasm, still not fully believing the presence of the giant dog in front of her. “Seems like he likes you a lot, poppyseed. You know, I used to have a dog like this when I was your age too.”

Lindsay followed Evan with her eyes, her smile growing at the vision of the boxes. She wasn’t extraordinarily tired, but it sure was nice to know that he had it covered tonight. “You are spoiling me Maxwell, it’s not even my birthday yet.”

[evan--maxwell]

“I like him a lot too,” Alice told her mother, sitting criss cross applesauce on their big porch. Lindsay’s words caught Alice’s attention immediately and she looked over from her new pet to look at Lindsay’s blue eyes. “Did you really? A puppy as big as Mac?” 

Evan offered Lindsay his hand when he was back at her side, wondering if his family wanted to move inside while he cooked dinner. “Oh, I do know that. This is just the start Campbell. Your birthday’s going to kick butt.” From a few feet over, Alice giggled. “Daddy! Don’t say that word.” 

[heather--phillips]

“Thank you officer,” she joked tiredly, raising her hand to salute Evan. “Something fast, maybe an Audi or a Porsche, something that will repercute greatly in my dad’s credit card,” Heather mused. 

The fury on Evan’s voice was unmissable, even when she didn’t know him half as well as Lindsay did. “I guess he’ll figure it out eventually, when he fails to see this old piece of junk in front of the cabin for weeks for no apparent reason. But hopefully he won’t be that mad when he sees I’m fine.”

“No, no dropping me anywhere, Maxwell. You and I are going present shopping together and I am not taking a no for an answer, come on. To the Evan-mobile or whatever!” Heather nudged his arm, encouraging him to walk over to his car. “Oh yeah, I heard you guys bought her a giant marshmallow as a birthday present, which in my opinion is setting the bar unfairly high.”

[evan--maxwell]

“Anytime,” Evan returned politely. Looking at Heather’s car again, he smirked, processing her words. “What does ‘repercute’ mean?” He asked, playing into the empty minded football player Heather used to know. 

“I’m sure you’re right. If he is mad, just tell him Helios’ finest are on the case,” Evan boasted, unassumingly. 

He chuckled in an agreement, letting Heather push him towards his car. Evan fished his keys out of his pocket and unlocked the doors before he stopped walking. “Alright, alright, but we’re in a hurry. Let’s see if you can pick out a present faster than I beat you in Scrabble. That should be quite a challenge, Phillips.” Evan smiled proudly at first before he sheepishly remembered that may be a touchy subject and averted Heather’s eyes, chuckling once before finally opening his car door and sitting down. 

[tomtakesphotos]

[heather--phillips]

“Don’t go around misquoting me Maxwell, I said that the ‘asshole came out of fucking nowhere, and rear ended me right before he made a pretty sexist comment about a bitch behind the wheel.’” Heather hit the tire of her car disheartened, sighing. “Oh well, I guess it was time for a change anyway.”

Heather looked up from her shoes to watch Evan, shrugging. “Yeah, I’m fine. Is there any possibility to keep this out of Ayden’s knowledge? He’s going to flip.”

Heather’s eyes widened. “Shit, is it March 17th already?” She groaned. 

[evan--maxwell]

"Ah, well in that case, I think I can put ‘asshole’ on the report,” Evan scoffed uncrossing his arms from his chest. “What car do you want to get?” 

He was eyeing Heather’s car now, feeling fury directed towards the man who had hit Heather’s car and driven away and knowing Ayden’s own anger would be multiplied. “Yeah, I won’t say anything.” 

Evan nodded. “I can drop you off somewhere if you want to get her a present or something, but you know she won’t care,” he said, shrugging. “And besides, I don’t know if she told you, but we are now the owners of the world’s most perfect dog and the only thing that can cure a stressful day of car crashes is to pet him, so.” 

[miss-lindsay-campbell]

Lindsay opened her arms to catch Alice, her little family’s enthusiasm making her smile. It was almost overwhelming, Courtney’s happy teasing towards Evan and Alice’s dance as she stole the phrase Evan was just about to say. “Mac,” Lindsay returned, locking her eyes with Evan’s green ones, the multiple memories that came with Mac & Cheese flooding her mind. The first time Evan cooked for her, when Alice claimed it was her favorite dish in the world. The million times they had gathered around a table with cheesy pasta to laugh and talk. 

“I love it.” 

[evan--maxwell]

“Look, I’ve got to go, but happy, happy early birthday, Lindsay. Love you,” Courtney reminded her, pattering off of their porch. Evan shouted a goodbye before pecking Lindsay’s lips. “I’m so glad. I do too.” With a playful groan, Evan stood up, going for a grocery bag at the corner of the porch. With his current petter gone, Mac travelled over to Alice and she happily accepted him, pressing her cheek to his. “Speaking of Mac & Cheese,” Evan grinned, pulling out two boxes. “I’ve got dinner covered tonight.” 

[evan--maxwell]

“Typically, when writing police reports, we want to refrain from using phrases like: ‘That jackass came out of no where and rear ended me,’” Evan quoted back, chuckling just enough in hopes to brighten the situation. “But I think we’ve got a good sense of what happened. Are you sure you’re alright?” He looked over at the islander’s damaged car. “Do you need a ride? I’ve got to get home for Lindsay’s birthday. I’m sure she’d love it if you stopped by anyways.” 

[miss-lindsay-campbell]

“You are such a kid, Evan Maxwell,” Lindsay chuckled, her eyes fixed on him even while Courtney and Alice told the story. Alice looked minuscule next to the dog, and Lindsay was taken back to her own childhood, the dogs running free around the gardens of the manor, the fetch games, the long walks with the dogs and her father. She wondered if her expression wasn’t obvious enough. “Thanks Courtney, you’ve given me the best birthday present ever.” Lindsay looked up, smiling to her friend. “So, that’s a yes. But you guys will have to name him.”

[evan--maxwell]

“You got some competition, Maxwell,” Courtney teased the taller man, colliding her shoulder against his arm. Evan laughed, knowing full well she was right. He crossed the porch to crouch down beside Lindsay, catching their dog’s huge head in his hands. Alice squealed, rushing to hug her mother. “We’ve got that covered,” she stated proudly, placing a hand on her hip. “Daddy, you tell her,” their daughter requested sweetly. “Mac,” Evan confided, looking over to Lindsay beside him. “Like Mac & Cheese!” Alice stole the punch line, dancing a little bit now. “What do you think?” Evan asked, beaming when he sat down. 

[miss-lindsay-campbell]

Lindsay struggled to keep up with Alice, catching her breath once they made it to the door without bumping into any furniture. She heard a muffled chuckle that she identified as Evan’s immediately, but she wasn’t able to put a name to the other. “A horse?” Lindsay’s head gears started to work on full speed, but she wasn’t able to crack their plan. As soon as she heard the door being opened she let out a “Goodness, Evan what did you do?” But soon her question was answered by the dog’s barking, making the writer jump slightly as she felt the furry head nuzzle against her jeans. She undid the tie, letting it fall to her neck to take in the image before her: Alice, Evan and Courtney eyed her expectantly, and in the middle of the room a huge dog nuzzled her legs, begging for attention. “Uhm… hi there, buddy?” She chuckled, kneeling down to pet the dog, a smile spreading across her face without her realizing. “Can someone explain me what’s going on?”

[evan--maxwell]

Evan smiled wider when Lindsay’s face thoughtlessly filled with joy. He nodded encouragingly to Courtney to relay the story. “I found this guy,” she began, kneeling to pet the white fur of his back. “He was right outside of the school.” Alice, unable to contain herself, jumped in when Courtney paused. “And Auntie Courtney said she would like to keep him, but she has work and stuff and can’t, so she offered him to us and I love him, Mommy. Can we keep him?” Evan chuckled, his eyes almost as big and wanting as his daughter’s. “Please,” he played along, sitting down to meet with a big lick across his cheek by the dog he already loved so much himself.