The invitation to Charlie’s apartment would - under normal circumstances - be a wonderful addition to Simone’s week and considering how busy the former had been for the last few months she would normally be overjoyed. The last month had changed that, though, and Simone found herself unsure how much Charlie knew of her escapades to New York City. Of course, Hank had only learned himself the true extent of the visit within the days since they’d returned back to Windham, so perhaps he’d not told her anything yet. There would only be one way to know, and frankly she knew it would have been far weirder for her to refuse the invitation than to let Charlie see the slight differences in the change to her gait.
Her body was still in the healing process from the night she got caught, too trusting of Gabriel to ever think it could be a trap. She’d let her judgement get clouded by a desire to have a relationship with the young boy -- no, young man -- that she never got the chance to know in the first place. It had been her own undoing, having lost track of the phases of the moon as she focused on trying to reconnect with him. Perhaps if she had known it was the night of the new moon she would have held off, after the threat she’d received she should have known what she was walking into... She winced as she climbed from the car, her ribs sending a shock of pain up the length of her spine that momentarily took her breath away. She needed to do better at hiding this, the last thing she wanted to do was worry Charlie. They hadn’t been able to hang out in months, and she’d missed the woman dearly. She genuinely wanted to curl up and exist together for a bit, but something told her that her still-healing ribs would make that hard to do.
Approaching the door to Charlie’s apartment, Simone clutched the small gift bag she had brought with her, using it as something to anchor her as she took her time in approaching so that she could keep her breathing even. One hand raised carefully to rap against the door three times in quick succession, an anxious smile creeping over her features as she waited for the other woman to answer.
Summary: Having not listened to the warning she was given, Simone finds herself in trouble.
Warnings: Trigger warning for mentions of gangs, kidnapping, hospitals, sexual abuse, trauma, injury and murder.
Two weeks had slipped through Simone’s fingers since the moment she’d heard Julia’s voice telling her they’d potentially found Gabriel. Two weeks since she’d left her husband, daughter and the life they’d built together in Windham under the guise that she was to take care of her ailing father. Guilt had begun to claw at her soul, knowing that Hank deserved far more than the lies she’d spewed and that her time here had been overspent. While Preston would never dare say Simone should give up, she knew she needed to head home.
As one last stitch attempt at connecting with her long-lost brother, she’d made her way back to the diner and kept her eye out for him. She saw him entering the neighborhood, and considering the glance he’d thrown toward the diner the she-wolf suspected that he was aware where she was. She contemplated for a brief moment if she should attempt to follow, but given the warning she’d been handed the last time she thought twice of it. If Gabriel truly wanted to talk, he had her number and that would need to be good enough. She couldn’t risk her safety, she needed to get home and had every intention on doing so after she had dinner with Preston.
Dinner had come and gone as Simone found herself finally relaxing in the presence of her father for the first time since the results had come back. He thought her foolish for continuing to try when Gabriel obviously wanted his space, and even went so far as to compare her to her mother -- and insinuate none-to-gently for the she-wolf to remember where that stubborn curiosity had landed the woman. Just after sundown she slipped into the spare room to finish packing her bag for the journey back to Windham -- if she left shortly she would be home just after midnight, hopefully to catch Hank before he needed to sleep for work the next day. At this moment she wanted nothing more than to curl up in his strong arms and try to return to whatever sense of normalcy she could given the events that had happened.
With her goodbyes said to Preston, she’d made her way down to the car to put her bag in and start the trek home when her phone vibrated in her pocket. Unsure as to who was texting her, she tugged it out, hazel eyes scanning the number for any sign of familiarity only to find none in the number, but in the contents of the message.
[TEXT]: Hey Simone. Think ur right - we should talk. Meet me @ the building next 2 Cruz’s. Half hour?
There was a palpable beat as she read the message repeatedly, ensuring she understood where he was asking her to meet. The store in question - and the building - were three city blocks outside of the neighborhood, far enough away that as long as Gabe had been careful she believed it a safe place to meet. She shot back a barely-there confirmation of “ok” before she slipped into the driver’s seat and made her way to the agreed upon spot.
Simone made sure to park nearly a block away encase anyone had followed Gabe and had eyes on their meeting. The last thing she needed was to have her car stolen or demolished on this trip, that would be even harder to explain to Hank. This whole thing was enough of a mess to have to tell him about as it was... She sighed as the store came into sight and her gaze trailed past it toward the abandoned stone home next to it. She’d heard about this home -- passed by it a handful of times in her youth. There used to be a chain on the door that kids in the neighborhood joked was unbreakable, but there was no sign of it now. Her nerves began to get the better of her as she realized this may be an entirely stupid idea, a trap at worst or a reunion at best. Neither one were in any semblance of her control and that thought scared her more than she expected it to.
She’d been about to spin around and return to her car when she felt a pressure on her lower back. “Thought I told you to stop spyin’, bitch.” The voice in her ear was a low growl and immediately Simone’s eyes started darting to and fro, hoping for any sign that someone else was around to see and help her in this moment. She knew what these men were capable of, and while she was adept at fighting she didn’t know if he had a weapon in his possession beyond a knife.
“Wasn’t spying.” Simone growled, shifting her position slightly to look over her shoulder at the man with a glare. “Gabe asked me to meet him here, now back the fuck off.”
“Too fuckin’ cute.” The brute laughed as he attempted to shove her forward, but the she-wolf stood her ground. “You really fuckin’ think that shrimp called you here? Why the gorgeous ones always gotta be dumber than a sack of bricks?”
Simone’s eyes widened as she realized the situation she was in and she drew an elbow back to slam into his gut so she could make her escape. He’d been expecting it, though, as one meaty fist grabbed her forearm and twisted it with surprising ease behind her back. “Wouldn’t do that again if I were you.” He snarled, shoving her again toward the building.
Try as she might to resist the way he was leading her, Simone couldn’t summon her usual strength to do so. Frantically she strained against him, attempting to find sight of the moon in a hopeful explanation as to what was going on with her. Her heart sank as the faithful presence in the sky was nowhere to be found and she began to realize the only strength she had to her name was her own, the new moon was this evening and she was simply human until sunrise. She would need to summon every ounce of strength to escape this situation.
Inhaling a deep breath as they inched closer to that front door, Simone let out the loudest scream she could muster. “HELP! SOMEONE HELP!!!” She wasn’t sure how far their reach extended beyond the neighborhood she’d first run into this guy, but if there was any chance that someone could intervene she knew she needed to get their attention and the best way was by screaming.
A deep growl came from behind her followed by a hard push to her back and her legs that sent her tumbling forward against the stairs to the building. Her head landed on the edge of one of the stairs and she couldn’t hold in the sharp intake of breath that signaled the pain spiraling out from the point of impact. This was not good, and loathe as she was to admit it, Simone was getting scared of what the hell was about to transpire. This man seemingly had more strength than her and no one seemed to have noticed or cared about her call for help. What if Julia was right, and they wanted her dead even after all these years? What if she never got home to Hank and Kiera? What if --
“Get yer ass in there.” The man huffed as he grabbed Simone by the back of her jacket and hoisted her up into the abandoned building. The interior was shadowed, dusty and reeked of excrement and death, but none of that stood out to Simone in comparison to the sight of three other figures looming toward them from the shadows. Another loud cry of anguish as she pleaded for help found her shoved into the arms of one of the other figures while the front door was shut and locked.
Simone summoned every ounce of strength she had at her availability to bob and weave, to try and get the upper hand on these men. It struck her as odd that they were only using their fists as well, and a cold pit settled in her stomach at the thought that they had no desire to kill her at this moment -- likely they wanted to use her the way their friend had decades ago... She would never allow that to happen to her again.
Every jab was met with a counter as the woman showed them how wrong they’d been to mess with her. She genuinely was not sure if the blood on her clothing was from herself or them as she raced up the rickety stairs inside the building away from them. She’d managed to fell one of them but the other three were hot on her tail and she didn’t know how much more she could take. Her body sent shocks of pain with every step as her eyes scanned the second floor for any sign of a place she could hide. None of the rooms had any place she felt would be safe enough, but she found one room without bars on the window and ran to it as fast as her legs would carry her. Covering her eyes she slammed her elbow into the glass with a resounding shattering noise, drawing the attention of the men. Cursing under her breath, she began to crawl through toward the exterior of the building, ignoring the way the jagged pieces of glass left in the frame clawed at her skin. She could hear the faint sound of sirens in the distance, if she could get to them the cops would protect her...
Suddenly there were hands at her waist dragging her back in, and try as she might Simone couldn’t fight enough against them to free herself. Screaming in anguish for anyone that could hear, she fought back with what could only be described as a blind rage, swinging wildly at the men in an attempt to fell them so that she could escape. They were not about to let their prize get away, though, as they moved almost as one, grabbing at her arms and legs while the third wrapped her in a choke hold. Struggling like a fish out of water, Simone fought like hell until her vision tunneled and went dark, the sound of sirens ringing in her ears.
Summary: Simone steps foot in the neighborhood, but her plan does not go the way she thought...
Warnings: Trigger warning for mentions of gangs, kidnapping, hospitals, rape, weapons and murder.
Gabriel was on to her. There was no way to deny that fact, and Simone knew that trying to hide out at the diner as she had been would only draw suspicion to the regulars there as well as to anyone that happened to be passing by and noticed the brooding woman staring longingly out the window the last few days. She knew that Julia had been right when she’d said there was a likelihood that they would recognize Simone but she needed to do what she could to talk to Gabriel, and that meant being direct. She would need to go into the neighborhood and locate him in a place he likely would not run from her in, and honestly she needed to disguise herself as best she could.
Armed with a fiery red wig, a pair of basic sunglasses and a nonchalant way of carrying herself, Simone made her way into the neighborhood. She could hear her heart thumping with every step, her body’s way of telling her this was a danger zone that she really should avoid. Stubborn is as stubborn does, though, and as she stepped she was careful not to look as though she was openly staring at any building or vehicle as she wandered through, doing her best to pass herself off as someone that was passing through versus someone on the hunt. The neighborhood had certainly changed in the last few decades, and not for the best. There were familiar buildings that were either abandoned or weather-worn, obvious signs of use and disuse scattered against the reel of memories that spun through her head.
She took everything in, keeping her eyes peeled for any sign of Gabriel but not paying as much mind as to where exactly her feet had led her until her gaze caught onto a building that stood out to her more than the rest. This stretch of road had been upkept better, obviously lived in as evidenced by the flower planters hanging to the window sills. In an instant memories flashed and Simone felt as though her childhood was being replayed before her eyes. She had vowed to never return here, too worried about the demons she’d fought to keep at bay eating her alive if she did. Yet here she was, standing before her childhood home, unable to bring herself to move from it just yet.
Simone found herself amazed that anyone could want to live in the apartment after what had transpired there. Surely any sane person would find themselves creeped out by an apartment that in the span of two short hours saw two deaths and a kidnapping? Perhaps that tidbit had been left out, or perhaps... she had seen people exiting and entering the neighborhood bearing the insignia of those that had flipped her world upside down. A sickening thought entered her mind that there was a possibility that one of the ones that had been here that night held the apartment now as some sort of sick trophy.... or maybe even a lure, hoping to finish off what they started two decades ago.
She was drawn from the depths of her mind by a shiver that raced up the length of her spine, her fine-tuned instincts altering her to the fact that she was not alone. There were eyes on her, though she didn’t dare to try and find out where. Focused on getting out of there as fast as she could, she turned down a nearby road and rounded back toward the park, depositing the wig as she went so that she could try to blend in. Ten minutes later she settled onto one of the benches and found a moment to take a breath. That had been far too close of a call, if they had recognized her...
“Look at what the cat dragged in.” A voice rang out as a presence settled onto the bench beside her. Simone didn’t dare to glance up, keeping her hood pulled over her head to obscure her features and pretending she did not hear him. At this park, in broad daylight, was no time to even consider tango-ing with anyone affiliated with the people that took Gabriel. “We were all wonderin’ how long it would take ya to come on in.”
When she opened her mouth to speak, the figure beside her chuckled, a dark sound that brought a sense of fear washing over her. “No no, I speak. You listen, girly.” His hand moved to rest upon her knee and she clenched her fists in her pocket, steeling herself with all of her strength.
“Gabe told us there was a crazy bitch claimin’ to be his sister. Didn’t take too long to figure out exactly who you were. Familiar name, even more familiar face...” His hand gripped tighter on her knee, causing her to swallow thickly. “This is yer one warning, little Simmy... leave Gabe alone, or ye’ll end up like yer ma.”
There was a moment where all Simone could feel was his hand on her knee, the tension between them and the steady pounding of her heartbeat in her ears. Her breath was held, unwilling to do anything that would risk her life at this moment. She was in no shape to take anyone on -- not with only her swiss army knife on her person. She wondered if he did intend to leave her be or if his recognition of her would cause something in this man to snap... but after another long pause he patted her knee and stood, exiting the park. Hazel eyes bore holes into the ground as her breath returned to her, adrenaline coursing through every vein.
Simone took a few minutes to compose herself before heading toward the subway, a confident stride to her. That was a challenge, she decided, a promise that they would not give Gabriel up without a fight. They didn’t know who they were up against, though. Simone Carver was anything but a coward, and Gabriel was far too valuable to let these ingrates continue to rot his mind with lies and savagery. She would get him back, she vowed silently, her and Preston would... somehow.
[2/7/21: Simone catches sight of Gabriel for the first time in two days. She tries to follow him but he notices her this time. He escapes her view in the subway, and she does not see him for the rest of the day.]
[2/6/21: Simone finds a diner nearby where she can stake out the neighborhood, and Gabriel. Makes note of anyone she may recognize. Tries to stay well hidden, casual.]
Simone: Good news! The antibiotics the doc gave him are working well! Long as he's on his feet enough to travel I'll likely be home in just a few days.
Simone: I'm probably gonna bring him with, jsyk. Wanna make sure he's all good, he doesn't have anyone here to really care for him.
Simone: I can't wait to be home with you and Kiera. I miss you both!
Simone: I need to get through to him though, Julia! How the hell am I supposed to be able to talk to him if I can't even get near him?
Julia: That is quite the challenge, Simone. All I am saying is that you need to be careful. What you did was not so easily forgotten, and you haven't changed enough so as to be unrecognizable.
Simone: You seriously think they still have a target on my back after two decades?
Julia: If they catch wind that the woman that killed one of their lackeys has now managed to find the child they kidnapped and are trying to turn him against the family? Yes. Yes I think not only do they have one but it will have grown.
Simone: They're not gonna remember, Jules. And I'm not trying to turn Gabe against them, I'm just trying to get my brother back!
Julia: They will not see it that way. Simone, please. I beg of you. Do NOT keep trying. Give him space. He will come to you when he is ready.
Summary: Simone learns a bit more about Gabriel’s life as it stands today, and has to begin to face the demons that have lived rent-free in her head for two decades.
Warnings: Trigger warning for mentions of gangs, kidnapping, hospitals, rape and murder.
There were few words Simone would use to describe herself if ever given the opportunity, and stubborn certainly was one of them. She had no qualms about admitting her shortcomings, and the fact that when her mind was set on something she would do her damndest to achieve her goal. The current goal in her mind was getting the man she’d found out to be her long lost brother to at the very least talk to her. The last three days since she got the results had been spent trying to see him, but after the initial conversation he’d been less than receptive and her cell phone number that had been left beside had seemingly been for nothing as he had yet to reach out. She wished, wholeheartedly, that she could see things from his perspective so as to better understand how to approach him but she knew she was too far into her own mind to even attempt that without some form of help.
Steeling herself for another round of rejection, she’d made her way toward the hospital to visit him again. As she stepped out of the subway station, though, her gaze caught sight of Gabriel exiting the building across the road and heading away. Simone had done her best over the past few years since her and Hank started their family to keep better wits about her, but it seemed ever sensibility she had was out the window when it came to Gabriel. Without a second thought she moved to follow him, keeping her distance for the moment in the hopes that she could discover a bit more about him -- where he lived, perhaps? Anything that would give her an opportunity to get closer to him, to understand him and the life he had now.
She lost track of how long she’d been trailing him, her keen senses helping her to be aware of the body language he threw off. Thus far, he’d had no real inclination that she was following him it seemed. She would follow him as far as she could, she told herself, because she needed to talk to him; maybe out here in the real world he would listen. That determination began to falter, though, as they passed a familiar landmark -- a park that she used to play at as a little girl. Different now, the upkeep over the years had added a sizeable fenced-in playground and the worn benches had been replaced with beautiful wrought-iron ones, most emblazoned with a placard of who donated the funds for it. There was a flash of a memory, the old monkey bars gleaming in the mid-day sun, Kira hovering underneath the set of them with her arms poised to catch the rambunctious six year old that swung around them as if she was born to do this.
Forcing herself back to the present, Simone allowed more distance to grow between herself and Gabriel, gaze still trained on him but as a distance she felt more comfortable from for now. Why was he here? Their old neighborhood was the weirdest of places for him to return to... wasn’t it? She hadn’t realized she had stopped moving at first, before she took in her surroundings and noticed that this mostly-abandoned section of street was far too familiar. One block over from where she’d grown up, where he’d been taken, where their mother...
As her eyes took in the neighborhood, she couldn’t help but note the run-down look of it. What was once a flourishing family neighborhood seemed to have fallen on rough times, and she took a few steps to follow after Gabriel before she caught sight of an older gentleman, one that looked vaguely familiar to her. Visible on the side of his neck was the insignia that dropped her heart into her stomach. Oh. Her mind changed, for the moment at least, Simone spun on her heel and made her way back toward her father’s home to regroup. This... would not be as easy as she thought.
[2/2/21: Simone discovers that her brother has a record and gains confirmation that he was raised by the same gang that took him. Her and her father try to see him, but are refused again. Simone leaves her phone number for him encase he changes his mind.]
Summary: Simone deals with rejection and wrestles with the emotions she’s repressed for decades.
Warnings: High emotions, trigger warning for mentions of gangs, kidnapping, hospitals, and murder.
Simone wished that she could say staying with her father made her feel like a little girl again, that there were some warm fuzzy memories that washed over her during the last forty-eight hours they’d spent together but... this was not what she considered their home, and much had happened in their past to prevent her from getting those pleasant vibes she so longed for. Even in the current moment, as she sat at the table in her father’s kitchen with playing cards splayed before her, Simone’s mind was racing with thoughts that she dared not speak. Since they’d gotten their blood drawn, Preston had been insistent that they not discuss the matter until the results were in. To that point he’d made his way toward work that day, with a promise that if the results came back positive they would both go to ‘meet’ Gabriel when he returned home from work.
Hazel eyes regarded a barely-touched sandwich, placed near her phone as she waited for the e-mail that would contain the results. She wasn’t sure when today they would be in, but Julia assured her they were top priority as a multi-decade missing persons case so she hoped it would be soon. Though, perhaps, it would be best if they didn’t arrive until Preston was home. She knew that as much as she loved her father... if this mystery man was Gabriel, there would be no waiting until they were both able to -- Simone could not sit by for hours waiting for the chance to see him, not after this long.
Her phone lit up to show a text message from Julia, asking if she had received the results. Fingers grasped the cards between them tighter, frustrated that there weren’t when she was trying to be so patient. This was out of her control, and it had taken everything in her to focus on accepting that and waiting, something she had never been good at. Refocusing her attention on the card game before her, she spent the next half hour finishing her game of solitaire before allowing herself to finally reach for the phone to reply to Julia.
Immediately after punching in her security code, Simone’s eyes caught sight of the symbol for her email amongst the notifications she’d ignored in her attempt to control her focus. She took a deep breath to calm the sudden burst of nerves that fluttered up within her as she opened the app and found herself staring at the e-mail she had been waiting to receive the last forty-eight hours. Eager as she had been, there was now a hesitance within her that she wished she could understand. Yet she sat there, finger poised over the e-mail as if waiting for someone or something to force her to do it. She sat there for longer than she cared to admit before she opened it, eyes scanning over all the details presented before her before she reached a line that read: Conclusion: The genetic data supports a full sibship relationship involving Simone Carver nee Templeton and Gabriel Dixon nee Templeton.
----
Two hours and a handful of phone calls later, Simone found herself outside of a room in the very same hospital she’d been in two days prior for the blood test. Julia hadn’t been willing to give up much information, but once the results were forwarded to her she’d relented just enough for Simone to get the information that Gabriel was in the hospital. The why and how fell upon seemingly deaf ears, and she didn’t dare to push further when she could simply ask Gabriel himself.
For years, literal decades, Simone had built up this moment in her mind -- the moment she would see her baby brother for the first time since he was a year old. She’d never given up hope that he was alive, simply given up hope on finding him herself. She’d run through scenarios in her mind more often than she would ever care to admit, but nothing she had thought of prepared her to see him in a hospital room at the age of twenty-one. Surely he wouldn’t remember her or their family, and she expected that but as long as he’d been raised right she could forget the past in order to focus on their future, reunited. Almost timidly, she raised her hand to give a knock on the cracked-open hospital door.
The sound of the TV playing from the room lessened and the voice that graced her ears sounded.. tired, gruff... nothing like what she had expected him to sound like. “Come in?” There was a question that hung between us, and there was the briefest thought that maybe she should wait for Preston, but that thought was burned away by her desire to see him.
The curtain was drawn in the room, and as soon as she stepped inside her eyes caught glimpse of him as she felt her breath catch in her throat. There, hooked up to an IV and propped against pillows was the gaunt form of a man. At first Simone thought Julia had the wrong man -- there was no way this utter stranger was the brother she’d dreamed of finding... but the more she looked at him, damn near gawking, the more she began to see features that reminded her of her mother and her father both - features she’d noticed within Kiera, too. She hadn’t even realized she was staring until she took in the furrowed brows and confused look from him.
“Uh... do I know you?”
“You did. Once.” The words tumbled forth absent-mindedly as she took a few steps in, noting the way he withdrew against the bed nervously. “I am Simone Carver, but when you knew me I was Simone Templeton. My father is Preston, my mother is -- was -- Kira. You’re Gabriel?”
Confusion continued to cloud his features as the man took her in, his arms moving to cross defensively in front of him as she inquired about his name. “Maybe I am, maybe I’m not. What’s it to ya, Simone?”
The way her name left his lips, as if she’d done something to hurt him, broke her heart. “What it is to me, Gabriel, is that I have been searching for you for twenty years...” She ignored the indignant look that crossed his features, continuing, “I’m your sister. You were taken from us when you were barely a year old, and it took longer than expected but I’ve finally---”
“Look, lady..” Gabriel shook his head, “I dunno who you think I am, but I’m Gabriel Dixon, not Templeton and I’ve never even heard of you or your family, you’ve got the wrong guy. I’ve been a Dixon my whole damn life, even got a birth cert. to show it. So sorry to burst your bubble, sweetheart, but the only sisters I’ve got are Dixon’s too.”
“No, Gabriel -- our father and I, we took a blood test. I’m your sister, you were taken from us by...” Pausing a mere five feet away as she spoke, her gaze moved over his face and down to the crossed arms, catching the sight of a familiar insignia on his forearm. She gasped, unable to stop herself, a hand raising to her mouth instantly. Her worst fears had been confirmed in that moment, and she shook her head as he reached for the call button near his bed. “Please, don’t, I--”
“No.” His voice was firm now as he moved, finger poised over the button. “You’re leaving, Simone. I don’t know who the hell you think you are, but I was born a Dixon and you’re out of your goddamn mind if you think I was kidnapped by them. My folks are decent people, and you’re just a crazy bitch. So get the fuck out, before I get someone in here to get you out.”
Simone stood there, staring at Gabriel for a long moment as she tried to decide what she needed to do. When his finger rested on the button, she put her hands up in defeat. “Fine, I’ll leave. But Gabriel... I’m telling you the truth. Blood tests don’t lie. Get one with your family and you’ll see what I mean.” With that she spun on her heel and left the room as fast as she could without looking back.
Summary: Simone goes to get the blood test, and comes face to face with someone she hasn’t seen in two decades.
Warnings: High emotions, trigger warning for mentions of imprisonment, kidnapping, hospitals, and murder.
A dream-like haze had settled over Simone from the moment she got the call from Julia. The past, something she rarely talked about even as it clawed at the back of her consciousness, had caught up to her in the most unexpected of ways. Julia had information that may mean Gabriel had been found -- not just a body, but a living breathing adult man. The sibling she’d thought long gone, off to rest with their mother’s soul... was actually alive. She’d not been able to wrap her mind around that thought, not as she began to pack a bag for a trip to New York City nor as she tried to figure out what to tell Hank.
Gabriel had been among the things from her past that Simone had never told her husband about. Her time in prison, how the incident that landed her there had triggered her wolf gene, the circumstances around her mother’s death... looking back, all she honestly remembered telling him of the incident was that her father had been convicted of something gang-related and her mother had died at the hands of the same gang. She’d not wanted to go into further detail, still doing her best to put the moment behind her.
The only person she’d given Hank a chance to know of her past was her father. They’d spoken on the phone a handful of times early on in the relationship, and he’d come to visit once or twice prior to their wedding. He hadn’t been to visit in a few years, and Simone stopped traveling once she’d gotten pregnant with Kiera so she hadn’t seen the man in nearly two years now. Living just outside of New York City, he’d seemed like the perfect lie to give. If this wasn’t Gabriel, she didn’t want to have gone through the explanation to Hank and risk him looking at her different for what had happened.
Her father had proved to be the perfect excuse to use. When Hank had come home from work, she’d explained to him that her father had called and was ill - he needed her to come help and she only planned to be gone for five days, tops. She knew within the pack there were people to help with Kiera when Hank needed to work, and even with how driven she was to take this trip there was a part of her that realized this was her first trip away from Hank in ages -- and the first one from Kiera in her short life. She needed to do this, though. She needed to know if this was her baby brother, and if so she needed to get him out of the rat race of New York City and talk to him about... everything.
She’d made it to the city in record time and gotten a motel room in the Bronx, fifteen city blocks from the neighborhood in which she grew up. There was a thrill to being this close to her old stomping grounds, but she’d chosen a place far enough away that she doubted she’d be spotted. She hoped not, at least, because anyone from her past hadn’t seen her in over two decades, and she intended to - mostly - keep it that way.
The night had been sleepless, tossing and turning on the uncomfortable bed as the nerves began to claw away at her resolve. She had no reason to doubt that the information Julia had given her was genuine, yet something in the back of her mind was set on telling her this was not a good idea. Odds are that even if this was Gabriel, he would not want to see her or know her... after all, he’d been so young when he was taken so who could blame him? It was her duty, though, to find out if this was him because she wouldn’t be able to live with herself if it was and she did nothing.
Up with the sun after the restless night, she found herself pacing the room as she waited for eight am to roll around. She’d texted her father the night before, asking for him to meet her at the hospital for a DNA test, assuring him she would explain more in the morning. How she would even begin to explain this was beyond her, but she knew it wouldn’t be done via text message. This was not the sort of thing that should be told in such a manner, and after all that their family had been through he deserved to find out from her.
Hood pulled up to obscure her features on the off chance that someone she knew would recognize her, she’d descended underground into the subway and made her way toward the hospital. The familiar ebb and flow of the cart on the tracks brought a sense of calm over her being, nostalgia washing over her in waves that - for the moment - were pleasant. This is a good thing. She promised herself as she’d stepped out into the bright morning sun, seeing the hospital just across the road. We deserve answers...
The thoughts trailed off as hazel eyes caught sight of a familiar figure in front of the hospital, chatting with someone, a woman whose details she couldn’t quite make out at this angle. Eyes narrowed, she’d followed the flow of people across the street, taking in the facial expression of her father as he seemed to be processing something. Their eyes met and before she could say anything, the woman he’d been talking to spun to face her and recognition washed over her -- Julia.
Before either woman could say anything, Preston pushed past the lawyer and took the five seemingly long steps toward Simone. His shaggy auburn hair partially obscured his chocolate brown eyes, brimmed with tears as his lithe form moved to wrap the woman in his grasp. “Hey, Snowdrop...”
Her father’s scent filled Simone’s nose and the emotions she’d kept at bay for the last eighteen hours began to overwhelm her in but an instant. Her own arms gripped onto the man as though her life depended on it, her face pressed into the crook of his neck in a familiar almost childlike way. She tried to speak, but only air bubbled up in her throat like a dam to hold back the emotions she’d fought so hard to take control of. She wasn’t sure how long they’d been standing there soaking in this moment as each processed what this might mean before she finally pulled back enough to clear her throat and speak.
“Do... do you think it’s possible they’ve found him?”
“There’s only one way to find out.” Julia spoke up from behind both of them, drawing their attention away from the tunnel vision world in which they had only existed for a few moments. “Come on, let’s go inside and find out, shall we?”
Simone and Preston turned to face the front doors to the hospital. What lay beyond those doors were not just answers, but possibilities. With no idea what the future would hold if the results were positive, they took the steps - hand-in-hand - toward it; a united front with the hope to reunite with the missing member of the Templeton family.
