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Jan 28, 2017

Hush A Bye Baby Chapter 3

Oh my goodness this is beyond late, but hopefully the fluff found in this chapter will make it up to you all :’)

This was quite the beast to write as it kinda dragged for me. But it’s important stuff. Next chapter will be much more exciting though, I assure you all ;)

hint hint that’s where you (the reader) may finally be meeting Jacob

But without further ado, here you go my lovelies!

Nothing but embers had been left to burn in the fireplace. The early morning air was crisp and chilly, a frost even covering the windows of the train as it continued its trail down the tracks. The melodic chugging of the wheels intermingled with the occasional whistle the engine gave, the distant sounds of the busy city trickling in to make their way to the man’s ears.

He had fallen asleep sitting- in Evie’s chair, no less. As he slowly became conscious to the world, what truly caught his attention, however, was how he instantly noticed how he had never felt so warm. The second thing he acknowledged was the unknown weight to his chest too, which also prompted Jacob to twitch his fingers. He could honestly barely feel the added weight in the first place, but all the same his digits still felt numb due to whatever force had been sitting on his arm, and he couldn’t understand what was lying on top of him, that is, until like a waterfall, all the memories from last night splashed down onto his mind.

Maisy.

And then he felt it- what he now realized being her tiny body shifting against his chest, a pair of thin and frail arms wrapping around his neck as the hair from her head tickled against his skin.

He blinked open his eyes, his body being promptly forced awake. His hazel hues instantly locked onto her form, any fatigue he would usually feel upon waking flying from his body as he quickly rubbed the sleep from his golden irises. Apparently, she must have awoken before him, as the second Jacob turned his head to look down at her, she picked up her own gaze to stare at him.

Cold and pale stony-grey once more clashed against the man’s warm green and golden-brown hues. For a moment he couldn’t utter a single word, the memories from last night heavy on his mind. All she did was stare at him, with those large, innocent eyes. It took him a second before he could manage to utter a single sound from his throat.

“Good morning, Maisy.” His tone was hoarse from just waking up, causing him to clear his throat as he then gave the little girl a soft smile. She gave him no reaction, however, her pale orbs only flickering around his face in a somewhat curious manner. She didn’t even smile at him. That worried him. Could she possibly just not understand what he was saying? He believed her to be around two years old; did toddlers at such a young age even have that extensive of a vocabulary? Or perhaps being out in the cold had truly made her sick- and his heart leapt for a moment as he considered that.

The concern suddenly ignited within his eyes, his upper body sitting up straight as the infant slid down his chest to gingerly have her weight shift to his lap. Her hands still clung to the front of his waistcoat, however, as her eyes remained locked onto his features, and the hand that now began to tingle with feeling again rested on her lower back, while his other hand cradled the back of her head.

“Are you feeling alright?” The sincerity was clear in his voice. He only had to worry for a half a second longer too, before Maisy finally responded to him, her still dirtied face moving up and down as she gently nodded. He almost wanted to sigh in relief. That meant she did understand him, but said feelings of relief were only partial. He couldn’t help but notice how the tiny brunette was still acting distant. The worry almost didn’t want to seem to fade, and he briefly wondered if this is what being a parent truly felt like. Was it normal to worry this much over the tiniest things?

“Would you like some breakfast then, darling?” He tried his luck once again, giving Maisy a comforting and tender smile as he spoke gently to her. He also didn’t really understand where it was coming from, but his hand almost seemed to move on it’s own accord as he lightly stroked her hair, brushing the strands out of her face and moving a few pieces behind her ears.

Maybe he should have mentioned food earlier, for that clearly caused the reaction he was looking for. He watched as Maisy nodded once more at him, but this time with a beloved smile that almost seemed to make his heart instantaneously melt. Seeing it alone made his own lips widen into a toothy grin, the warmth that was starting to become familiar to him now tugging at his heart.

He was also beginning to understand that perhaps Maisy was just shy. The poor little thing was acting so timid, which he could understand, of course. It made him wonder if that would break at some point, or if that was just who Maisy was. Only time would tell him the answer to that one. For now, though, he was just glad Maisy was okay, and that she had a basic understanding of English. That surely saved him from an immense amount of trouble.

“Well, then, shall we?” Jacob playfully asked, moving his hands to pick the little girl up from under her arms. She merely continued to smile at him as he finally stood from the chair, his muscles and bones stretching in pleasure as he finally moved for the first time since last night.

Jacob shuffled Maisy to sit on his forearm again as the brunette comfortably grabbed the Englishman’s chest as he straightened himself. As he began walking through Evie’s train car, the man couldn’t help how he released a loud yawn as he arched his back, stretching himself out completely as he finally blinked away any lingering fatigue.

If that didn’t wake him up, however, the nice cold gust of wind from Evie swinging open the car door directly in front of him sure did.

He swiftly felt Maisy cling to him, and whether it was from the cold or fright he couldn’t tell, but either way, he may as well have been up for hours with how his senses instantaneously sharpened, his reaction immediate.

Without a second thought his free hand came up to create an almost protective shield as it lied completely across the little girl’s back. He couldn’t help how he also gave Maisy a worried glance, entirely ignoring Evie’s entrance into the cart. Evie, of course, was quick to notice her twin was finally awake, promptly shutting the door behind her. Jacob just barely managed to peel his eyes away from Maisy at the noise, finally acknowledging Evie- and how she was already dressed for the day too. Of course.

“Oh, good morn-ing-” Evie began to say, but she faltered as she spoke, a hand flying to her lips as a sudden mirth sparkled in her eyes. Oh goodness, she most certainly hadn’t been expecting this. Evie, quite honestly, might have to say for one of the first few times in her life had been completely, and utterly, caught off guard.

She couldn’t help it. Stumbling upon the sight of her brother, his normally slick, smoothed back hair a ruffled mess that stuck up in odd places coupled with the sight of the two of them, staring at her owlishly- for by then Maisy had even turned her head to shyly stare at the intrepid sister, the toddler curious about the newcomer. Maisy and Jacob were still clearly dazed from just waking, and as she stood there, taking the image of the two of them in, it was just, too cute.

Jacob, for once, had no idea what Evie was thinking, only left to raise a suspicious and confused eyebrow as he watched her fail at trying to contain her laughter. His eyes flickered across his twin, wondering just what in the world was so funny.

“What?”

Jacob’s brow had even furrowed by then, completely at a loss for what had possibly amused his sister so much. The hand Evie had hovering near her face was placed on her chest briefly as she controlled herself, her laughter finally dying as she went to go answer Jacob instead.

“Nothing. I’ll go see what Agnes is planning for breakfast.” Despite her short answer, the smile Evie wore coupled with her clearly amused tone indicated to Jacob that it was most definitely not just nothing. Even with the suspicious glint in his eye as he watched his elusive sister turn back once more towards the door, Jacob couldn’t help himself as he decided to play along with Evie’s game. He wasn’t about to let her have the upper hand. He quickly glanced down at Maisy.

“That, my darling, was Aunt Evie, and in case you didn’t notice, she also happens to be a little nuts.” Jacob stated with a sugary-sweet, innocent tone, showing he was only saying such a thing in order for Evie to hear and ultimately, become annoyed at.

“Jacob Frye! I heard that!”

Obviously, it worked.

Now it was Jacob’s turn to laugh, his chest rumbling with a chuckle as Evie probably mumbled yet another complaint about her incorrigible little brother as she made her way out of the train car. If asked, Jacob couldn’t say he was even aware Evie had said anything as the door shut behind her. What he was truly aware of was the most adorable twinkling sound that had ever happened to reach his ears.

It took him a second to realize it, but Maisy was giggling.

Immediately, the man gave her an incredulous look as his eyebrows shot up. He could have sworn he felt his heart clench- but in a good way.

“Oh? You thought that was funny?” He couldn’t help but ask, part of his tone truly holding disbelief, but the other completely and utterly teasing. It was brief- much too brief, and as Jacob gazed upon the smiling infant in his arms he wondered if he could elicit such a noise from her again.

He wouldn’t have to think too long, for upon his inspectful gaze Maisy shyly glanced away, her smile becoming wider as she buried her face in Jacob’s side. And then he heard it again.

The twinkling of little glass bells.

Jacob could never explain it, but the immense amount of joy that flowed through him upon hearing the sound could only be released by the laughter that erupted from his own lips. Apparently, their merriment seemed to fuel each other’s, for as the Assassin even briefly threw his head back he could easily hear Maisy’s giggling become stronger as his chest vibrated from the glee he expelled.

It was then that something- something that felt so inherent, so integral to his being, surged vehemently all of a sudden within him, and Jacob was powerless against the outright yanking to his heart.

Gingerly, he hoisted Maisy up higher against him, causing her to raise her head to look at him. She had a full-blown toothy grin by now, the soft twinkling still ongoing. He couldn’t remember a time where his cheeks practically hurt from how wide it caused him to smile.

And then, as if he had done it a thousand times before, with his lips still set in a wide smile he leaned down and planted a large, loud, loving kiss to her cheek. Her reaction was instant. Her giggling just turned into straight up laughter, and she even let out a tiny squeal of happiness, one of her little hands coming up to touch the scruff on Jacob’s chin, before resting her chin to her chest and retracting both her hands to her neck, as if she were guarding it. It didn’t take a genius to figure it out- the scruff of his facial hair had clearly tickled her when he went to kiss her, and at that point, Jacob was sure his heart had completely and utterly melted.

There was no stopping him then, the fondness shining so brightly in his gaze, and the warmth blossoming across his chest and squeezing all the love from his heart as he got lost in the moment, playfully leaning in once more.

“Oh no, is somebody ticklish-“

Jacob quickly muttered in a heavily mischievous tone before his lips were upon her again. Maisy tried to lean away as she squealed once more, Jacob delivering a series of obnoxiously loud, playful and affectionate kisses to her cheeks. He didn’t care that she was still filthy. Any dirt he got on him was meaningless compared to the absolute bliss the lovable kisses provided for both him and Maisy.

The man was finally forced to relent when Maisy, through all her laughing and squealing, decided to unexpectedly throw her arms around Jacob’s neck, rapidly burying her features against his skin. He would have thought he might have offended her, with how sudden her actions were, if it weren’t for her own playfully giggling he still heard, indicating that was her way of ‘hiding’ from him. Feeling her tiny nose rub against his neck, coupled with the fading sounds of her twinkling merriment, he couldn’t help it as he just stood there, taking it all in as he let the awe and the love just wash over him. Jacob Frye had never felt like this before. He had never felt so full of joy, of this kind.

He had always heard of the cliché warm, fuzzy feelings people would get during sentimental moments, and quite frankly he would make fun of them- but now, he realized it was no joke. This was the farthest thing from a joke for him. Nothing before had ever felt so… real to him.

His smile was nothing but tender then, Jacob’s gaze glancing down at Maisy as his hand gingerly moved to rest between her shoulder blades.

“Alright, my little one, Daddy promise’s he’s done now.” His tone was soft and sweet, her hair once more tickling underneath his chin. All she did in response was nuzzle into him, and if anything, that just made him want to take her adorable, tiny chubby face into his hand and kiss her even more, but the man knew better. It was time to start the day. But that didn’t mean he couldn’t play with Maisy later, of course.

Already looking forward to such a thought, Jacob then trekked through the train cars, making sure to keep their exposure outside to a minimum. Even with just the few seconds of being outside, though, Jacob could feel the chill go straight to his bones. There was no way this could be good for Maisy. A slight frown had made its way to his face as he finally made it to where Agnes normally served the twins breakfast.

He was already thinking about it since last night, but this train was obviously no place to raise a child. Jacob was no fool. There was not only no room, but it was completely unsafe and nothing but impractical. It served Jacob and Evie well, but as for Maisy… Jacob knew it wouldn’t do. The man might have just the solution to such a problem as well.

“It’s about time you two showed up.”

Jacob instantly looked up to see Evie was already sitting at the table situated against the side of the dining cart, her dainty fingers holding up the day’s newspaper. Her eyes never left the page, allowing Jacob the freedom to casually roll his eyes at her without hearing some form of rebuttal. He would have verbally made a quip right back at her too, just as he usually did, if it weren’t for the Assassin suddenly noticing what had been placed upon the table.

His plate was clearly already waiting for him, still steaming with some warm crumpets, fresh eggs and even a few links of sausage. The jam, milk, tea, and sugar were also already placed on the side. Nothing out of the norm, that is, except for the small bowl next to his full of what he quickly identified as oatmeal.

Jacob almost gagged. He was aware that was definitely not for him. The last time he could ever remember having such a revolting thing was when he was twelve.

“So today’s breakfast consists of some lovely oatmeal?” He obviously teased, making a more disgruntled face as he made his way over to his chair. It was then the man also realized Maisy wouldn’t be able to sit on her own. She was much too small. If she were to try sitting in a dining chair in a normal manner, her head would barely rise above the table. Perhaps that’s why Evie didn’t bother pulling up a third chair, and had placed Maisy’s breakfast right next to his. He nearly wanted to sigh at what she was insinuating.

How was it that she always seemed to be one step ahead of him?

“I’m assuming you’re not wanting to partake in this, are you?” Jacob’s voice carried over to Evie as he pulled out his chair. His eyes locked with her own over the newspaper as Maisy slipped from his grasp as her feet met with the hard seat. It didn’t need to be stated for her to understand what Jacob was referring to.

“I will help, but Maisy is ultimately your responsibility. If you’re truly choosing to take care of her, you must learn how to do so.” Evie’s answer was blunt, and she quickly went back to reading as soon as she was done answering Jacob. The man most certainly got her message, and held back from quipping back to her. It would only lead to a much more involved conversation, and it was one he was nowhere near in the mood to have right now. For the moment he decided to just remain satisfied with his sister’s response, wanting to keep the mood light as he instead glanced between Maisy and the table.

“Well, in terms of being helpful, it seems we’re still not used to having a third guest, seeing as we do not even have a third glass.” Jacob mentioned, in a teasing, perhaps even passive-aggressive manner towards Evie as he pointed out the missing item on the table.

Evie just chose to ignore him, if anything merely giving a short roll of her eyes as she continued on reading the day’s paper. It was obvious Jacob was just trying to get under her skin, and that was something she wasn’t about to allow. “Alright, my dear-“ Jacob began, once more focusing his attentions back to Maisy as he allowed her form to fully slip from his arms. He didn’t really acknowledge the sudden hesitant look that crossed the little girl’s features, however, Jacob already turning to walk over to the cabinets.

“No-!”

All the muscles in his body tensed. His gaze snapped back, glancing down to his arm, where he felt her tiny fingers wrap around his sleeve in a death grip. In an instant his golden irises zoned in on the distressed look Maisy gave. What on earth-?

“-What’s wrong darling?” Jacob quickly asked, still rooted to the spot. He noted how she now tried clinging to his arm; Jacob forced to lean down slightly, for if he moved any farther out she would fall right off the edge of the chair and onto the floor.

“Daddy-”

The Assassin practically felt the stabbing pang within his chest with the broken way Maisy uttered his new title. The word was nothing more than a sob, and the concern completely washed over the man’s features the moment he realized Maisy was practically on the verge of crying.

It was also then, Jacob realized- with the way she clung to him, it was quite clear that she merely couldn’t bear to have Jacob leave her, even if it was just a few steps. Such a discovery only served to make the pain in his chest wrap around his lungs tighter, as it confirmed all the more his suspicions of her being abandoned. Oh, if only he knew who the bastard was…

“Darling, daddy’s right here. I’m not going anywhere.” Jacob’s voice was soft and reassuring as his body leaned down on one knee before her own, his hands grabbing her tiny fingers. His palms completely engulfed Maisy’s, the man bringing her knuckles up to his lips where he planted a tender kiss upon each one.

“Daddy wouldn’t leave you,” He began to say, a warm smile upturning his lips in an effort to reassure the toddler that everything was okay. Hoping he had gotten his point across, his form straightened again, despite Maisy instantly beginning to whine in protest. It took all of Jacob’s will power to continue backing away from the little girl, especially with the way she reached out to him the second he let go of her little hands.

“I’m right here, I’m just getting you a cup darling-“ unfortunately for Jacob, Maisy’s whining didn’t lighten as he hoped it would when he finally reached the cabinet. Despite his goal being clear the little girl was completely ignorant to Jacob’s intentions, only focused on the gap between them as her whine finally developed into an outright cry, her gray-blue orbs glazing over.

“No, no! Sweetheart-!” Jacob had managed to get the cup like he wanted, but it came with a cost. Apparently her separation anxiety was far worse than he thought. His form was back at Maisy’s side in record time, engulfing her in a hug as the toddler latched on to his neck. The Frye twin could physically feel his heart splintering in two as she relentlessly began to sob, Jacob unable to do nothing more but hoist her against his chest and into his arms as he slid into the seat. Unbeknownst to Jacob, Evie had been watching the whole scene as she peered over her paper, and finally seeing the distress paint over her brother’s features, she could watch on no longer.

With a subtle, sad sigh of her own Evie rose from her seat, even surprising Jacob as she walked over to his side. He truly had no idea what she was up to, that is, until he saw her pick up the oatmeal, and taking a spoonful she placed it in front of Maisy’s mouth.

“Here you are. You want some yummy food, don’t you?” The woman cooed, and with the way the infant cried the twins both thought such a tactic wouldn’t work, if Maisy hadn’t proved them wrong, that is.

All it took was her gaze to lock on to the spoon, and assuming Maisy finally had a chance to smell her breakfast of cinnamon and apple infused mush, instantly decided on shoving the oatmeal into her mouth, cutting off her own crying.

“Good girl. Would you like some more?” Evie praised with a pleased smile. Maisy still had tears falling down her face, and whined between her chewing, but it was clear her attention was quickly becoming focused on the food in her mouth verses her sadness. She nodded to the female Assassin’s question, her chubby hands now reaching out over Jacob’s shoulder for the bowl.

Before she could truly grab it, of course, Jacob was already doing so, Maisy watching the food like a hawk as her tears had now fully dissolved into sniffling. The man felt a swell of relief, but it was only partial- his heart still heavy as he simultaneously wiped the little girl’s face with his thumb while helping her spoon the oatmeal into her mouth.

“There you are…” Jacob’s soft words trailed off under his breath, Evie going back to her seat as her brother finally allowed a small smile to grace his lips. “… I’m not going anywhere, my little Maisy…” He continued to mutter reassuringly, but the soft smile on his face was deceived by the despair that was hidden in his gaze.

Evie of course could see right through the man, knowing full well how large Jacob’s heart was- and knowing that was exactly why he was currently experiencing so much pain. She could see it as plain as day from across the table, unable to help herself in wondering how often his compassion would truly be the end of him if it weren’t for her. But, that’s also why Evie wasn’t surprised at Jacob’s next set of words as Maisy seemed to finally get a hang of shoving the spoon into her mouth on her own.

“So, as you know, the train isn’t exactly the most suitable place to raise a child.” Neither of them made eye contact as he spoke, as Evie knew where Jacob was heading. They were twins, after all, and chances are they shared the same thoughts about the situation as they both drifted off to sleep last night. But, that’s not to say Evie still had her own desire of ensuring Jacob knew that life did not suddenly grind to a halt at his recent findings.

“Your food is getting cold.”

“Evie.”

“What? You wish to use the flat- then use it.” Evie only gave her twin a brief glance before going back to reading her newspaper. Jacob couldn’t help but raise a brow. Was his sister actually… agreeing with him?

“So, you think it’s a good idea then?” The man curiously asked, absentmindedly stroking Maisy’s hair as he spoke.

“None of this is a good idea, Jacob.” Evie plainly stated, which in turn unsurprisingly caused Jacob to roll his eyes with a sigh.

“And yet it’s so odd how nearly every time you’ve told me that it’s those exact ideas-“ Jacob suddenly cut himself off as he subconsciously glanced down at the toddler in his lap-

-Only to find his sentence dying in his throat. All the annoyance instantaneously evaporated from him. Instead, nothing but an amused smile graced his features as he swiftly grabbed a napkin.

“Do try to get the food in your mouth, darling, not around it.” He mentioned, and it was then the infant stopped stuffing her mouth to look up at him. Her large, sparkling eyes paired with her stuffed cheeks covered with bits of sticky oatmeal did nothing but serve to make him chuckle. Clearly, Maisy was not enjoying his amusement, quickly shoving his hand away with the napkin as she wiped at her face with a pout. Almost as if to spite him she then ate the oatmeal off her hands before going back to now rightfully using her spoon.

Jacob was also not the only one who was amused by Maisy either, Evie finally cracking a smile of her own as she watched the little girl begrudgingly obey her brother with a feisty glare.

“Oh my, with that look you better watch out now, Jacob Frye.” Evie couldn’t help but state, causing Jacob to glance between Maisy and his sister, before scoffing.

“Oh please, like a toddler will be what causes me to admit defeat.” The man confidently answered, even leaning his broad shoulders back, his muscular bicep hanging over the back of the chair as he offered his sister his trademark smirk-

A sudden burp cut off any and all conversation.

For once, both twins were caught off guard as their eyes swiftly locked on to the tiny toddler.

“Maisy!” Evie incredulously stated, Jacob unable to help himself as he threw his head back, laughing wholeheartedly.

“Well, at least we know she enjoyed the food!” The man amusingly commented, before finally being reminded to reach for his own breakfast. He ultimately began with one of the crumpets on his plate, ignoring the still shocked expression of his sister as he went to spread some butter on it- that is, before a tiny pair of hands suddenly appeared to try and grab at his food.

“Oh? Would you like to try some?” Jacob asked, wondering if Maisy may still be hungry.

“Start with this, sweetheart.” The man motioned, breaking off a small piece of the crumpet before handing it to the curious infant. Within seconds he then proceeded to take the rest and go stuff it in his mouth- before Evie suddenly clearing her throat stopped him in his tracks.

“Jacob.” The female Assassin merely said, her azure gaze simultaneously glancing between his wide, open mouth and Maisy’s own. The man instantly became aware the girl was copying him, trying to shove a much too large piece of bread into her mouth.

“Oh. Right.” With an unsure smile upturning his lips, he quickly pulled his arm back, braking off yet another piece of his crumpet, politely popping it in his mouth instead. He then smiled down at Maisy, watching her doing the exact same as she too, glanced up at him with an expectant smile of her own. There was no way he could help the chuckle that tickled in his throat at her actions, his hand coming to pat her head to praise her.

“Children are like sponges, Jacob. You must remember that. Everything you do, they follow.” The sound of Evie’s voice finally tore his gaze away from Maisy, his smile fading. Jacob couldn’t help but raise a brow at her words, truly pondering them as he glanced to the side wearily.

“God, I hope not. But speaking of sponges…” The Assassin trailed off, finally remembering the tasks he had to do today. He cracked an almost guilty looking smirk, locking his gaze with Evie’s own.

“Do you think you can do some shopping while I give the little one here a bath? Or would you like-“

“I will be back.” Before he could even finish, Evie was setting down the newspaper and heading for the door. Perfect.

Jacob chuckled triumphantly to himself as she made her way out of the car, as he was right in assuming his sister would take the bait. He didn’t know the first thing in what to buy Maisy, especially when it came to dresses or other girly things. Hell, he didn’t know what toddlers needed in general, let alone a female toddler.

But then, his chuckle fizzled out in milliseconds, realization washing over his face.

He had also never given any child- or person for that matter, a bath in his entire lifetime. And the only other person who could possibly help him in giving one to Maisy had just walked out the door.

He took one glance down at the tiny brunette, locking eyes with her. The sticky oatmeal from her breakfast was still smeared around her lips.

“Oh, damn it all.”

#my writings #Assassin's Creed Syndicate #Jacob Frye #Assassin's Creed Syndicate fanfiction #jacob frye x reader #reader insert #HABB #HABB three

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