All That Jazz is a monthly column written by Jasmine Silva. For all intended purposes, all the information Jasmine posts is considered alleged information and should NOT be considered fact for legality reasons. However, she’s fairly certain that her sources are reliable and would hold up in a court of law.
PAGE ONE: Stories of the Month
APARTMENT BUDDIES OR LOVERS?:
Look, I love a good back and forth love story, but can these two give it up already? @devonrose96 and @monixberry live together which, hello? That basically tells me that they’re fucking. It’s just like how I think Billie Puckerman and Maise Rose are 100% sapphic together. Personally, I think Devon and Monica should just put their friendship on the back burner and start making out. Who’s with me?
MAISIE’S BIG MEATY SANDWICH!:
While @maisierose may be known for crying outside of Breadstix and falling in love with every man she lays eyes on, I’ve got something crazy for you. She’s in a fourway! Not literally, but listen to this. Everyone knows it’s just a matter of time before @xjonahx puts a label on this Pisces, but she’s wooing TWO other men. Yep, you heard me. Sources say Maisie was spotted out on a date with @dearjacobsamuel. Apparently the embarrassment from Breadstix wasn’t enough, but she’s also been seen multiple times with @theomcintosh at Rosalita’s Roadhouse. If twenty years from now, Jonah, Jake, and Theo show up in Greece because a young girl invited them to her wedding, we’ll all know who the Baby Mamma (Mia) is.
THE HORRORS AT THE AMERICAN FAMILY MOTEL:
I love a good little sexual exploration. We all do it! But none do it like @xsethappeal. I know he denied it, but my sources told me that there was an orgy last week at the American Family Motel. So sorry to whichever Puckerman had to clean that one up, but Seth Evans wasn’t just involved... he was the ring leader of the whole thing! Everyone in attendance were either regulars at Scandals or random people Seth found on Craigslist. I suggest Seth take himself down to the local clinic!
CONT. ON PAGE ONE: HOTTIES @ THE LFD
It’s no secret that the firefighters of Lima are objectively the hottest men and women to walk the face of the Earth, but I’m someone who simply can’t wait to see those scandalous calendars so I’d much rather give you, my dear followers, my definitive ranking on who’s hot and who’s not (Spoiler: They’re all hot. Some are just hotter than others)
Coming in at number one is our very own firelady @hattiewilde! Resident turned Lima Newcomer, Hattie’s the girl everyone dreams to get under. After all, I’d let her save me from a burning building!
Coming in at number two is one of Lima’s many FDILF’s (Fire Dad I’d Like To Fuck) Puck Puckerman @firexpuck! Or is it Noah? Honestly, I don’t care enough to know because all I know are those washboard abs baby!
Coming out in our middle spot is @xjonahx! He’s sweet and hot, what more could a girl want?
And last but certainly not least, in number four we’ve got @firefightingryanc! Honestly, manz would rank number one if it weren’t for the fact that every time his trap opens, it ends in something that involves his daughter. Can you say BORING? Seriously, dudes a snooze fest.
PAGE TWO: Who Got Down & Dirty @ Breadstix?
Now, the moment you’ve been waiting for. I know, I know, Jasmine you know who everyone went home with? Tell me more, tell me more! Here’s the list of who went home with who and let me just say, I have a feeling we’ll be hearing shotgun weddings and positive pregnancy tests from a few of these bunches!
@hopeandtruth left a $200 dollar bill on her date with new beau @xsethappeal, demanding him to come with her. Can you say Dominatrix?
It’s no secret @blueberrysawyer and his date were macking on each other in the restaurant. Thank God they fled the scene before I had to see Breadstix porn. Although that wouldn’t be a terrible PornHub category, I guess.
Friend or foe? @theomcintosh and @hattiewilde are known for hating each other and their hot banter on the dash makes me need a fan, but turns out, the two ended up spending the night together!
While Maisie Rose ran out in tears and ditched @dearjacobsamuel, he didn’t let that stop his groove! My sources say they saw him getting in a car with a Breadstix waitress. Hot!
Good girl @annabananalima just couldn’t keep away from the older Puckerman boy, @firexpuck. Those two may be friends, but you better start adding benefits to the end of that.
Come on, there’s another Puckerman on this list? Well, while @lilyjanefabray wasn’t charmed by @elipucker, she was charmed by his Puckerman that lives down South, if you know what I mean.
Now, my favorite pairing. @clairestjames ended up on her blind date with her ex, @reldaxsmythe, but she didn’t go home with her nay-nay. Instead, my little sources tell me Claire was seen at Rosalita’s getting all cozy with @hunterxc. Alexa, play Best Friend’s Brother!
PAGE THREE: Monthly Rumors!
It’s no secret that I receive plenty of tips on a weekly basis. Some I end up personally talking about while some of the best end up in my column. Here’s the top SEVEN rumors that I just love (and believe in)!
@rossberryx is known for his luscious locks, but did you know it’s actually just a wig?
There’s a reason @smythemp3 didn’t stay in Paris and came back to Lima. He got married! But it didn’t end too well and after a pricey divorce, Sebastian had to move back home.
@limaboundblaine freaked out on a barista at the Lima Bean after she got his order wrong and threw his coffee at said barista.
@chandlerpierce won’t be in attendance for University of Lima fall semester. Why? Because she dropped out and joined the circus!
Did you know Salma Hayek is a good friend of the Smythe family? Apparently 30 years ago she had a baby that she put up for adoption. That baby? @reldaxsmythe.
@darcynderson and @stevievans are back on after he went to visit Darcy at her apartment.
@roseandprose got ditched at Breadstix just like her little sister. Apparently @firefightingryanc daughter was sick, but I have a feeling he just got one of his buddies to call him and say there was an “emergency”. I know I’ve used that excuse before.
AARON TAYLOR JOHNSON, CIS MAN, HE/HIM, BISEXUAL; Is that ELIJAH PUCKERMAN I see getting a cup of joe at the Lima Bean? Sounds like them. Apparently, they’re TWENTY-EIGHT years old and I know from Instagram they seem to be ADVENTUROUS but also IMPULSIVE and are an EMPLOYEE AT AMERICAN FAMILY MOTEL. Not to mention their feed reminds me of MISMATCHED SOCKS, UNCERTAIN PATHS, WORN OUT SHOES, & CIGARETTE BUTTS. Here’s to hoping they get out of Lima soon!
CHARACTER INFO:
Birthday: March 31st, 1993
Family: Puckerman
Relation: Half-Sibling (Solo)
Birth Order: Open
THREE THINGS ABOUT ELIJAH:
Not seeing Eli’s father seems to be part of the Puckerman brand. His mom was knocked up by his dad almost thirty years ago and basically disappeared after promising he would be there. Eli’s always wondered why she gave him his dad’s last name, maybe she thought he was coming back. However, it caused him to grow up with some big daddy issues. He’d always ask where his dad was and when there was events at school, Eli always felt left out when other kids had both parents and Eli just had his mom and whatever boyfriend she had at the time.
Growing up in Findlay, Ohio, Eli was just average at pretty much everything he did growing up, even if he would never admit it. He didn’t have a passion and couldn’t find one even after he graduated high school. He’s been bouncing around from job to job for almost a decade now.
He does not like being told what to do. He usually does the opposite of what he’s told, including by his mom or even his boss. Maybe that’s why his jobs never really last. It’s something he’s working on, being more personable and all but he hasn’t gotten any better at it. Eli’s his own person, he wants to do his own thing always, and he’ll do anything to prove that.
GENERAL NOTES → With everything changing in their life, Eli and Charlie know they need to have a long talk.
Elijah leaned against the garage door of the Puckerman home, not quite caring that he didn't wear a jacket to shield from the winters air sweeping by. His body was warm, heart pounding desperately as he thought over the events of the past few days. Everything he'd known a couple days ago seemed flip flopped completely. Three days ago he had two brothers, hadn't seen his dad in years, and everything was perfection with Charlie. Now his father had made an appearance and he had a half brother he'd never known about and things with Charlie were strange and off. All the changes frightened Eli, making him wish everything went back to "normal", when he was oblivious to every current complication. Unfortunately life was not like that, and he knew he had to learn to live with all the new developments. As such, he needed to fix things all around, especially with Charlie. Waiting outside for her, he wasn't sure what he'd say but he knew he would kiss her in a way that made her feel his love. Hearing footsteps, he'd swiftly met her halfway across the sidewalk, instantly lifting her into his arms as his lips crashed upon her own. He wasted no time in pressing her up against the garage door, his body molding into hers as their tongues met fiercely He stifled a moan as he held her closely, leaving little space in the passionate embraced as they kissed. It was a long moment before he gained the strength to pull away, still pinning her to the garage door, his lips tingling from the tantalizing kiss. "Hi," he whispered before pecking her lips lovingly. Biting his lip, he collected his thoughts as he leaned into her. "I..." he started, "I love you, and I'm so sorry for the other night.." This would be the start to what he knew would be a long night of apologizing and kissing.
Charlie wasn't really sure what was going on in her life lately. Some days she'd just be so down with the stress of the future that seem to come barreling towards them at times. Some days she'd just feel panicked about leaving Levi during school in fear she'd miss his first word or his first steps. And some days she felt miles away from her boyfriend, thought he was just there within reach. Now she'd come to find that she wasn't the only one with things weighing heavily on her mind. She had only had a slight idea of the resentment Eli carried around with him- Resentment of his father, of his assumed reputation, of the possibility that he'd somehow follow through on that reputation. And it was new for her, really, to find that reassuring words couldn't just fix things for him, that he'd probably still hold that within him for the rest of his life despite what she said. Especially now that she knew he wasn't the only Puckerman who despised it. Upon learning that Jake was as Puckerman as well, at first Charlie was surprised, and then was relieved when things made sense, like some of the common mannerisms or expressions. Still, she knew that'd be a big impact on her boyfriend, and she was concerned, so once he asked to meet her outside, she did so at once after finding a jacket and shrugging it on. She was expecting him to be somber, to need comfort or to confess his feeling. But as his lips pressed hard against hers, she definitely wasn't complaining. Without thinking much, she let her hand cup his cheek as he kissed her, her hand trailing down his chest as she felt her back press against the garage door. The blonde wasn't sure what caused him to act so passionately, and for a moment she was concerned until he pulled away. Her eyes glinted curiously as he whispered a greeting to her and pecked her lips. As he began to apologize, a slow smile grew across her lips, glad he felt the need to apologize even when she didn't think he should've. She leaned against the door as he leaned into her, her light hazel eyes meeting his darker ones. "It's okay," She replied. "We were both upset and things got out of hand. I'm sorry it took me so long to believe that you did forgive me. I guess I just don't feel like I deserve it."
Elijah looked down into her eyes, his expression bleak and he looked down at the girl. It was weird, this girl turning into the only happiness he felt as of lately. That rough patch in their relationship truly broke him, to the point he turned to alcoholism and got in a bit of a jam. He was so lucky that Jake had been there, and only had a couple, not as much a light weight as Eli, and well enough to steer them away from another speeding vehicle and into a lamp post. It saved his life, but now it all seemed even stranger with the knowledge the young man he befriended was actually his brother. The kid was actually family, and that shook him. In this weird time where he realized just how messed up his family was, with a new brother who didn't even want to be known as his brother, and his drunk father, Elijah knew he needed to bring back some stability in the young family he was raising unexpectedly with the Fabray girl he had impregnated some time ago. His ten month old son and the young woman who mothered him were the world to Elijah, and would be his family in the future, no matter what fears and doubts the blonde had in them. Licking his lips slowly, he looked at her with that "wide eyed puppy dog look" the Puckermans were apparently very well known for. He shook his head, resting his forehead against hers and closing his eyes. "Don't apologize.. I understand why you thought that.. But I need you to stop, okay? I need you to remember that I do care about you and I forgave you because this is the only good thing that's happened to me. And yes, it happened the wrong way, and it was terrible what you did, but I don't care. Bad things can be turned into something good. And I want you to believe that, and believe that I want this and I will always want this." His jaw tightened as he pulled back and look down at her with that sad face again. "I know you have your doubts in our future and everything, but I don't want you to be afraid of what's going to happen between us." He nodded slowly, "I love you, and we're going to make it. I need you to know that.." With that, he sealed the promise with a deep and slow kiss, putting all the love and sincerity behind his words into his as their lips molded together. Pulling back, he sighed softly. He needed to get that out, but now his mind was turning back to Jake, and the secret that was revealed, and his expression fell grim as he realized there was more mending he needed done in his family. Levi would know his other uncle.
Charlie listen to him explain to her that he forgave her because their love and their son was the only good thing that happened to him. For a moment, Charlie still didn't believe it, thinking about just how many people would roll their eyes if they heard him say that having a son with a girl who barely knew before even turning eighteen was the only good thing that had ever happened to him. But on second thought, she understood. Her life had been an endless rut of books and tip-toeing around her parents and wishing and wanting and nothing else until the pact came along, and while it wasn't exactly the best situation, it changed her life for the better. She had always had two wishes; Eli, and to get out of Lima. Now she had Eli, and a beautiful son, and so much more. And they were definitely going to get out of Lima. Her eyes bore into his until he pulled away, her heart twisting as she saw his face give her the puppy dog look she always saw in Levi. She slowly nodded in agreement to his words, to let him know she was finally beginning to understand. As he kissed her, she stood on her toes to lessen the distance between them, her hand resting on his shoulder as he pulled away and sighed. There were many more things to address than just this, she knew. "I need you to stop, too. I know you think of your last name as a curse, with some sort of terrible legacy or reputation behind it, but I've never thought that. I always thought being a Puckerman meant you were a little rebellious, and some times got in trouble, but you had a big heart. Not to mention good looks." She smiled slightly and nudged him a little with her forehead. "And that still stood even after I found out about your father. It still stands now. That's why Levi's last name is Puckerman, after all. And I hope one day mine will be, too. Your father being a Puckerman is not going to change that about you and your siblings, okay?" Her eyebrows raised in question, hoping he'd actually be listening to her now that she was listening to him. "And maybe all Jake needs is to know that, too."
Elijah looked deeply into her eyes, giving her his full attention as she began to speak. His jaw tightened as the girl tried to reason with him, to get him to stop looking at his family name as something so bad. She even used the words he had on Jake, which only brought his thoughts back to the younger brother he'd only just now discovered. Looking down a moment, he bit his lip and thought over every word she said. He needed to do it, needed to get over it all and believe in her and her words. Looking at her as she nudged him lightly, he cracked a smile at her little comment, giving her that smirk he and his brothers were famous for, silently wondering if she swooned over that same smirk all the time they'd known each other. Letting the smile melt into something more sweet, he nodded as she questioned him, asking him to let go of his father's legacy and remember being a Puckerman truly wasn't bad. Swallowing thickly, he nodded again, ready to lean in and kiss her to seal that promise as well, but was stopped at the mention of Jake. Biting down on his lip hard, Eli looked away. "I think the last thing that kid wants is any sort of association with us," he breathed softly. He glanced away. "I want to help him, you know? He's a loner, he doesn't have friends, and he's hurt over dad too.." He swallowed, looking down as he took Charlie's hands into his own. "I want Levi to know him too, to let this kid know what a family is and that we're not a family to be ashamed of."
Charlie couldn't help but smile as he spoke of Jake and wanting to help him. It was very sweet to see how much he cared for this stranger of a boy who he ultimately didn't owe anything to. Jake hadn't come to him, but he wanted to know him, wanted to befriend. Charlie herself had wanted to help guide the younger Puckerman before she knew that was what he was; Now she wanted to even more. As he took her hands, she let their fingers lace together, squeezing them reassuringly. "I guess Levi knowing all of his uncles wouldn't be a bad thing. And I think it's very nice of you to want to help him. But maybe he needs some time to think things through.... Or even some time to find out that now that the whole world knows he's a Puckerman, the sky's not going to start falling."
--other stuff happened but chatzy deleted it basically they did it in a tree house--
Charlie had frowned slightly as he said she really shouldn't do it so freely, since she couldn't think of a reason why not. But she couldn't help but grin as he leaned down to kiss her, apparently having the same idea as she had. As he opened the door and led them to her bedroom, she bit her lip to remind herself to be quiet and not wake anyone in the house, especially the triplets. Looking in on Levi as Eli did, she moved to tuck his little blue blanket mote around him, fingers ruffling his dark hair that seemed to be getting curlier everyday. Of his cue, she began to undress as well, though she was still cold from outside, so she threw on one of her tank tops and some cotton shorts too. The blonde stepped into their bathroom to run a brush through her hair, then crawled into bed with him, nudging her way into his arms. She reached up to move some hair from her neck to show him his handiwork with the already dark hickey. "I hope you're pleased," She teased him.
Elijah smiled as she joined him on the bed, wrapping an arm around her as he pulled the blankets up to their shoulders, cuddling the blonde beauty close and pressing soft kisses to her forehead and cheeks. Seeing her show off the little mark he'd left on her pale neck, the boy grinned, a satisfied little smirk, and bit his lip. "Oh, I'm very pleased," he cooed, placing a soft kiss over the mark before tugging her close and tight against his chest. He sighed happily against her hair and closed his eyes, just breathing in her scent and enjoying her closeness as their legs tangled up beneath the covers, bodies connecting and molding into each other. "Tomorrow I vote you not hide that and let all the dudes at school see you've been branded by a Puckerman," he joked, though he knew the little boy sleeping in the crib in their room was enough to signify that.
Charlie felt a little lazy half-smile curve up her lips at his own smirk, very amused at how the one small mark made him happy. She let her arms bundle up to her chest as he pulled her to him. At his words, she lifted her eyebrows as he mentioned solely boys seeing she belonged to him. "And my sisters and your brothers and my teachers and the Bye Bye Birdie cast, too." She reminded them, wondering just how much grief she'd get if she had actually done that.
Elijah just shrugged, "I think the majority of those people are aware we do stuff. Like my brothers, and my friends, they all know." He shrugged again. "Besides, I've got this whole thing goin' on with Hudson and I just lost a bag of gummy worms to him because your sister is apparently a lot freakier than we all thought.. Charlie Fabray sporting a hickey means he's paying for my lunch for three days. See? You'd be helping me out." He laughed. He and his friends had a habit of making silly bets, especially him and Hunter, and he kind of wanted to win one for once.
Charlie tilted her head in agreement that it was probably not that big of a revelation for any of their friends, though it was probably still sort of a jump to actually see proof of that on her neck. She arched her left eyebrow as he admitted that he had sort of a bet thing going on with Hunter. Part of her wanted to chew him out for making silly bets involving their love life, but she knew him well enough that he'd never actually do anything that would compromise them. "Oh well, in that case, if you don't have to pay for lunch for three days, I suppose I'll have to."
Elijah grinned at her response, chuckling quietly. "Good... Because apparently I'm going to be paying for his lunch for the next month." He shook his head. His friendship with Hunter was a long lasting one, full of random bets that somehow the Hudson managed to win, but he was glad to know at least one win would be in his favor with Charlie sporting the hickey. Cuddling her closer, he kissed her forehead softly, sighing as he closed his eyes. "We should probably get some sleep, huh?" he mumbled, not entirely tired.
Charlie really was surprised that he was going to apparently have to pay for Hunter's lunch for a month. "A month?" She repeated, her tone incredulous. "I don't know about you, but I think we need to catch up." She told him. How on earth her sister and her husband managed to do that was beyond her. As he kissed her forehead, she let her hand trace patterns against his chest and chuckled ay his question. "Probably, considering we both have school in like..." She thought about turning to seek out a clock, but decided that her position was much too comfortable to move. "A few hours." She finished.
Elijah "Well catching up would include a bunch of sexy outfits bought from the local sex shop, fuzzy hand cuffs, sneaking into your parents' house, and maybe a quickie in a public place," he said as he thought over all the bets he'd had going with Hunter. "I think it would be pretty hard to do that, but I'm pretty sure I'd be alright with attempting to catch up," he winked. Hearing her answer, he smiled and kissed her forehead. "Why can't we be rebellious and skip school tomorrow and just spend time with baby boy?" He sighed, "I don't know if I want to go after the whole Puckerman explosion."
Charlie felt her eyes close slowly as he told her exactly what they'd have to do. Not because the idea was unappealing, but because she now had a mental image of exactly what her sister and Hunter were up to. "I might be okay with that, too." She teased him. Off his suggestion at skipping school, she thought over it. "Maybe. But only because I don't want to try to get through a whole day on a couple hour's sleep. And I miss him. But we have to be back for rehearsal."
Elijah just smiled amused when Charlie closed her eyes, her expression saying everything about what was on her mind. His expression wasn't too far off when Hunter started laying down bets and winning them, but he found the expression on Charlie to be both amusing and adorable. Kissing her nose, he smirked at her response, licking his lips slowly. "We'll have to get on it soon..." He paused before wondering out loud, "I wonder if doing it in my sister's tree house counts for doing it in a sibling's bed. That was one of the bets.." He thought over it a moment more before shrugging it off and looking at Charlie. "I miss him too," he whispered. "But okay.. We can come back for rehearsal." He paused, "You know, I'm glad I'm doing this musical thing with you. I mean, don't get me wrong, totally not my kind of thing, but it's kind of fun.. And it's the only time of the day I can handle being near Alex and not wanting to punch him, so I guess that's a good thing." He shrugged, "Plus, you know.. This could help me get closer to my bro, with him being there. Maybe I'll ask him to help me out with dance moves and use that as an excuse to talk to him." He shrugged.
Charlie "If you ask me, doing it in your sister's tree house is just as wrong and kinky as doing it in a sibling's bed. Maybe even worse." She agreed, and nodded when he told her he missed Levi as well. She went back to school to try to have some semblance of a normal teenage life, as it was her senior year, after all, but she missed the days when she could spend hours and hours with her baby boy, learning more about him, playing with him, and recognizing mannerisms he'd picked up from them or other people in the house. He had changed so much in the past few weeks already, and she was afraid she was steadily losing with how well she knew her son. Of course, she still knew him rather well, but not backwards and forwards like she wanted to. As he began speaking of how glad he was to do the musical with her, she smiled as he immediately let her know that that wasn't his kind of thing, because she knew that he was enjoying it, whether he admitted it or not. Once he mentioned being able to tolerate Alex, she tilted her head again in agreement. While most of the time he seemed to do anything and everything to get people to dislike him, at the musical, there was a sort of truce among him and everyone there, because they were all there because they wanted to be. "That sounds like a good idea," She mumbled. Jake was one of the rare few who seemed to belong on stage, other than the few other people in the musical who seemed to be there to socialize or for an extracurricular. Namely, when he was dancing. She wasn't sure if it was just natural talent as all the Puckermans seemed to have, or if it was something that stemmed more from ambition. Sadly, it was part of the reason he was in the ensemble instead of the role he had tried out for. The role of Hugo didn't call for much dancing and it was just too much to waste. After all, she could always throw in a dance solo for him to show it off. "But you know, I think it might be okay if you just talk to him because you want to talk to him."
Elijah "Exactly. It's horrible. We just ruined a place of child like innocence. That's totally bad," he said, nodding. Laying there, he couldn't help but think about how much he'd missed in his son's life. Between the two of them, Elijah wasn't around much. While Charlie had spent all day with the boy before returning to school, Eli balanced school, work, and raising a kid. It just came to show that in comparison, he didn't know his son the way Charlie did. And it kind of bothered him. Still, when he remembered his dad's total lack of presence in his own childhood, it reminded him he was still there and doing his part, which made him feel a little better. And the way his son looked at him and had this cute tendency to crawl over to him when he was sitting on the floor and just climb into his daddy's lap made him feel loads better about any situation where Elijah wasn't always there to see a lot of Levi's firsts. His son adored him, that much he could tell, and he adored him too. He just wished they had more memories together. Hearing her response to his idea on getting closer to his brother, Elijah smiled, glad to hear she agreed with it. He knew from the other night that Jake was very much into dancing. The kid took ballet classes after all, and he'd seen the kid's moves. He figured asking Jake to give him some tips could give them something more to bond over, other than the whole daddy drama and such they bonded over the other night before the big reveal. Eli shrugged at Charlie's next statement. "Maybe. I just don't want him to think I'm trying to hard to be a part of his life or something. Don't want to bother him."
Charlie Now that she knew she didn't have to go to sleep immediately, she leaned up to look at him and stroked his cheek. "Baby, I think the only way for you to be trying too hard to be in his life is to, I don't know, get into his personal life or something, like his love life or his grades or something. But trying to just get to know him is not trying too hard." It was quiet for a moment as she pulled the blankets up further around them and she took a deep breath. "Eli? ....Do you think that maybe the reason you want to get to know him so much is because maybe you feel obligated to make sure he has a father figure in his life?" Before he could answer, she was backtracking some. "And I'm not saying that's a bad thing."
Elijah looked down at her as she stroked his cheek and spoke, trying to encourage him. He shrugged, "If he's anything like myself and my brothers, he won't take well to just anyone trying to get to know him better. He might not enjoy that. It has to be something slow." He shrugged again, thinking over her advice and how he would approach his younger brother. He was distracted by Charlie's voice again, his brow furrowing as he thought over what she had to say. For a long moment he stayed silent, just thinking about it. Laying down on his back beside her, he set his eyes on the ceiling. "I feel obligated to let him know he's not alone and that he's got a family."
Charlie Hearing his words made her feel sad, because knowing that he wanted to let know Jake that, told her that he had once maybe felt alone, and he didn't want his younger half-brother to feel the same. But at the mention that he had a family, Charlie couldn't help but to chuckle at how if Jake did decide to be a part of the Puckerman clan, his family would've expanded much more than he was probably prepared for. Six nieces and nephews, three brothers, one sister, and Charlie and Rachel on top of that. At that thought of the family he had yet to meet, namely Levi, she looked back up at him with a playful look in her eyes. "Maybe we could beg him to babysit Levi for a night or something. No one could resist Levi. Though I may just be biased."
Elijah stayed silent a moment as he thought over what he'd told her. Childhood, even with his two brothers and younger sister, and great friends like Hunter and Eli, wasn't easy. He felt lonely, not having a dad to look up to, to teach him to be a man. He was sure it was worse for his brother, who was an only child on his mom's side and probably didn't have many friends. He didn't seem like it anyway. He just wanted to reach out and give the kid something he had now. A family. And the real good kind, the one you loved no matter what. Hearing Charlie's voice, he turned to face her, smiling as she brought up Levi. "I think we're both biased, because our son is pretty darn awesome," he chuckled, looking over to the crib a moment. "I do want to introduce them, though. I want Levi to grow up knowing all his uncles. And, who knows... Maybe it'll take Levi, or one of Puck's or Aaron's kids, to really bring him in. After all... Levi brought us together and molded our little family.. Maybe he can pull that kind of magic on my little bro."
Charlie Charlie looked over to Levi's crib as Eli did, watching his little chest rise and fall with soft breaths. She had been kidding, but maybe it wasn't such a bad idea, Levi or any of the triplets or twins spending time with Jake. She supposed it couldn't hurt. She remembered Jake expressing doubts about it at first once Eli had brought it up to him, but who knows? Maybe it'd go away with some time. For now, it was probably just best for them to get to know each other as brothers before they ambushed him with kids he knew even less than he knew their parents. "Well, I wish you luck on it. Something tells me he's going to get grief about either lying or being a Puckerman, so he might not take so kindly to it at first. Or maybe he'll be happy to take the good with the bad. Either way, I'm really proud of you for trying so hard to be there and stuff for him."
Elijah smiled as she spoke, taking in what she was saying. "You really proud of me?" he asked softly before leaning over to kiss her a brief moment. Pulling away, he just smiled at her before cuddling close to her and hugging her tight. "I'm going to talk to him. Just say hi or something, take it slow."
Charlie smiled as he leaned over to swiftly kiss her. "Yeah. I mean, sure he's your half-brother, but you're not obligated to do anything. You've missed out on all but a couple months of each other's lives and you had no idea there was any relation. You could forget all about it if you wanted to, pretend you didn't know anything. But you not only want to get to know him, but you want to be a part of his life. And you want him to be a part of our son's life. And you want to help him and be there for him, let him know he's not alone. That's pretty amazing. You're pretty amazing. Of course I'm proud of you." She nodded against his chest, her eyes fluttering closed, a small smile growing on her lips as nudged her feet closer to his under the covers though hers were a few degrees cooler than his, no doubt annoying him a little with it. "Saying hi sounds like a good start."
Elijah just smiled as she spoke. No one had ever said things like that about him. His mom was the only other person to day they were proud of him, but this felt somewhat different. "I.. Thank you, Char," he whispered, biting his lip before squeezing her extra tight. "You don't know how much that means to me.." He wanted to be the kind of person she felt proud of, the kind of man his son would be proud of. Hearing her say that really meant something to him, and he had to kiss her afterwards to let her know that. "I'm going to at rehearsal tomorrow," he nodded, mostly telling himself that. Feeling her feet nudging his, Eli chuckled. "Your feet are cooold," he dragged out the last word and shivered. Tugging her closer and allowing his foot to rub against her own, he whispered, "I'll keep you warm, baby. And, no, that wasn't supposed to be dirty." He chuckled quietly, silencing himself when he thought he heard a whimper from Levi.
Charlie couldn't help but to grin after he kissed her for simply being proud of him. If he knew just how proud and appreciative of him she often was, he'd probably never stop kissing her in that case. As he told her her feet were cold and exaggerated it with a shiver, she giggled. She often found that she got cold easily and had to blow on her hands to warm them or had to wear socks or a jacket when it was barely cold outside. It was nice to have someone keep her warm instead, though. As Levi began to make sounds like he was stirring, she pursed her lips tightly to keep from making any sounds to wake him further, but it did no good as he began to make more sounds of distress, signaling to them that he was awake and not happy about it. Reluctantly, Charlie scooted out of bed to retrieve the small boy, planning to try to hum him back to sleep, but decided against it. It was what they were staying home for, wasn't it? To spend time with him? She cradled him in her arms and then scooted back into bed, letting the 10 month old settle himself in between them. His hazel eyes were large for a moment with confusion as Charlie put the blanket back over the three of them, but as he was no doubt comforted by having both of his parents on either side of him, didn't make any more noise but instead wrapped his hand around the blanket and continued to look at them. A soft chuckle left her lips as she snuggled closer to her two boys, and met eyes with Eli. "We're family bonding."
Elijah watched the blonde go to grab their son, confused when she carried him to the bed instead of try to put him to sleep. Soon Levi found himself nestled between his parents, silently staring up at them with his big eyes, reminiscent to the infamous Puckerman puppy dog look. He smiled and chuckled breathlessly at what Charlie said before leaving down to kiss his son's forehead. "Look at you, Little Man," he cooed, "You're already staying up past your bed time little rebel." He smiled and leaned down to nuzzle his nose against his son's, always loving the cute little reaction the baby boy would get and being rewarded with it as he did it. He kissed his son's little cheek before smiling at Charlie and snuggling them both. "I like family bonding. Let's do it more often."
Charlie couldn't help but to giggle and grin as she watched Eli with their son. It was the single most precious thing she thought she had ever seen. As Eli moved closer, Charlie did as well until there was virtually no room between she and Levi and he and Levi. The little boy's head was on her pillow and she laid down on it as well, and wasn't at all surprised as his hand grabbed at a strand of blonde hair like it often did when she held him in her arms. His eyes started to droop and she ran her fingers through his curls as a means to try to ease him to sleep. "I think baby boy has the right idea. We have almost a whole day of fun family bonding ahead of us."
Elijah watched with a smile as the trio got all cuddled up, Levi's attention turning to his mother's hair before getting sleepy. Elijah leaned down to kiss his son's head before carefully leaning over to kiss Charlie goodnight. "You're right, we should sleep." He smiled down at their son, who opened his eyes momentarily to stare up at them. "Goodnight, Levi," he said softly, kissing his little forehead again. "Night, Charlie." Hr cuddled them both as they settled for bed. "I love you."
Charlie accepted his goodnight kisses happily and took her turn pressing a kiss to Levi's cheek as well. "Don't let the bed bugs bite," She echoed after Eli to her son who still looked at them with heavily-lidded hazel eyes. Feeling a kiss being placed on her own head made her close her eyes with a smile on her face, letting her arm move over her son to also touch her boyfriend's arm, reassuring herself of both of their presences while she slept. "I love you, too." She whispered back.
You're about 5 months now. You're more than twice the size you were when you were born- Isn't that crazy? You're getting kind of talkative too, even though you aren't actually talking, just squealing and cooing. You make lots of faces too. You can get this kind scrunched up face when you're thinking. That comes from your daddy. And you like to move your eyebrows, too. I'll admit, that comes from both of us. Grandma bought you a Pat the Bunny book. You just love to run your hand over the little fur patch over and over again, like you do with Kiko's ear when you sleep. Speaking of Kiko, you better stop dropping him over and over again just to see us pick it up for you. One day you might drop him and never get him back! When we put you on your back to rest, sometimes you like to play this game where I'll hold my hands over you and you try to push against them with your feet. Really I'm trying to see how far you can kick, but you just think playing around. It is really fun when I act like I'm gonna eat your little toes and you just laugh and squeal. You like to tugs on things too, like my hair. Don't worry, it doesn't hurt, but you keep on trying to put it in your mouth which wouldn't be good for either of us. We're trying to figure out what you're going to look like when you're older but it's hard! I think your hair is still deciding between brown or blonde and while you were born with blue eyes, they're getting darker and greener everyday. Speaking of your eyes, we're seeing less of them lately since you're starting to sleep more and more. Thank you for that, baby boy! Extra sleep is always nice. But I think you may be waking up now, so this letter has to come to an end. Love, Mommy.
