#rm: length.

[jasper-williams]

all too soon | solo

“The soldier is the Army. No army is better than its soldiers. The Soldier is also a citizen. In fact, the highest obligation and privilege of citizenship is that of bearing arms for one’s country” 

One month. One month was all it took to turn Jasper's life on its side and then back again. The past two weeks had practically been lived in silence, words hardly being exchanged between him and Faye bar the odd apology that would slip out of his mouth. Not because he regretted his decision, but because he had sprung it on her, expecting her to be fine with his choice. He wan't quite sure what possessed him to rush into such a thing, but what was done was done and he would always have to look forward to this new chapter in his life.

That being said, the man did not expect the training letter to come through the post as soon as it did. The crisp envelop easily teared open as he read the formal letter inside, his stomach dropping for the slightest of moments. The 15th of April would soon come around and on that date he would be sent away for training, his deployment overseas to come shortly afterwards. 

Leaving the letter laying around on the kitchen side for anyone to see, he stalked off to the computer, quickly writing a short resignation letter to Kingston Row Institute before printing it off and placing it in an envelop of its own. Little explanation was given to why he was quitting, but his work colleges would no doubt find out where he was going. Joe would all but force the information out of him.

Faye and Lizzie being out at daycare, he grabbed his Jeep keys and moved out of his home, locking up the small building before making his way to Kingston, for the last time in God knows how long.

[jasper-williams]

the ripple effect | solo

'But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.'

A long week at the Williams house hold was just enough to drive anyone mad. George was still visiting but funnily enough, Jasper was grateful for the extra help with the kids. There was no need to pay a babysitter if family was willing to give them a extra hand. The week together had also helped with the friction between the men from when they first met. Things had changed a lot since that time, and change was on the horizon again.

What started off as a normal day would forever alter Jasper's life, but he was more than willing to go along with his destiny. It was something he would need to do with his family and as it had become obvious to George over the time they had gotten to know one another, family was the most important thing to Jasper. It may not have made up for the beginnings of Faye and his relationship, but it was a decent start.

The TV blaring in the background as he gave Lizzie her morning feed, they joined George on the sofa, them making small talk about the commercials playing. George had soon found out about the money issues Jasper and his family were having shortly after his arrival, The man had a way of figuring everything out without so much of a hint being dropped.

Nothing more had been said on the matter since that day, and it would have stayed that way if the Territorial Army advert hadn't shown at the moment it had. Jasper would have thought nothing of it if George hadn't spoken. 

"I was in a similar situation once." George started, his eyes not leaving the television screen. "Faye was about a year old and Diane had been fired again. We couldn't even afford to buy her new baby rompers. So I want and did what I had to do. I joined the army and provided for my family." His hard gaze finally landed on Jasper and he knew what it meant. He'd exhausted all options and now there was little he could do. He had to sign up for the Territorial Army, for his family, for their money issues, for himself.

The rest of the day was spent with the two doing odd job around the house, Jasper always being a million miles away as he weighed up his options. George finally having enough with his day dreaming, he gave Jasper a quick whack over the head bringing him back to the real world. "For Christ sake Jasper, hand me the fuckin' tool box. I'll do it myself"

Standing to his feet and sliding the tool box along the floor to George, he started to back out of the room. "Do you mind if I run out for a half hour or so? Lizzie's down for her afternoon nap so everything should be okay for a while." George simply nodded, taking the nail out of his mouth and placing it against the wall, beginning to tap it in. "I'll be back soon." Jasper called, his shoes already on as he opened the front door.

"Good choice." Was all he heard back in response before he closed the door behind him. The drive into town was quick and before Jasper knew it, he found himself in the Army Careers Information Office. Stepping out of the Jeep, he cracked his knuckles before entering the building. Time flew quickly and as soon as he had decided, he had signed up for the Territorial Army.

The choice was made and he was pleased with it. Now all he had to do was wait. Sitting back in his Jeep, he leaned his head back with a smile before the after thought of telling Faye wiped it off his face. That conversation was going to be interesting to say the least.

[jasper-williams]

the persistence of memory || solo

“Memories warm you up from the inside. But they also tear you apart.” - Haruki Murakami

Having wanted Tuesday to never come, the day soon rolled around on the calendar and that only meant one thing - the girls were going to London to live with his parents. Everything had been packed days in advance bar a few things, but now the sad reality hit Jasper. Jenny and Claudia would once again be moving out to live with another part of their family.

As much as he would have loved to keep the girls with him and Faye, bills were forever rolling into the household and the family had enough money to cover them without the extra children to look after. His mother had offered to look after the girls and they had been grateful for the suggestion.

Closing the boot of his Jeep with all of the girls boxes inside, he double checked their seat belts before climbing into the drivers seat, getting settled for the journey ahead of them. Two hours were spent driving down the M4, only one stop being made at one of the pit stops before the endless games of eye spy continued.

Pulling up to his ever familiar family home, it almost brought a smile to his face to think of Jenny and Claudia sharing the memories that he and his brothers had. The tree-house was still up in the garden and it wouldn't surprise him if there were still the odd basketball hanging around on the grass. The amount of tennis, cricket and footballs the three boys had lost over the years they lived there was enough to drive their next door neighbor mad. Especially when Eric broke one of his windows whilst they were playing cricket.

A faint smile finally pulled up on his lips as he remembered his brother, it soon disappeared as he thought of his children sitting in the backseat of the Jeep. They had suffered so much loss in a short space of time, and now Faye and himself would not be there to help them through it.

Switching off the engine and turning back to offer a smile to the girls, he kept his voice upbeat for them. 'You guys excited to spend some time with grandma and granddad?' He asked, smiling as wide grins spread across Jenny and Claudia's faces.

Climbing out of the Jeep, he opened the door for Jenny, letting her run on up to his parents house as he moved around to the other side of the Jeep, unfastening Claudia's booster seat and carrying her up to the door in his arms. His mother having already opened the door to Jenny, he walked straight inside with the small girl in his arms, a smile on his face as was greeted by the grey haired woman. 'Hey mom.' He smiled warmly her before quickly being interrupted by Jenny.

Time flew quickly as the family caught up on what had been happening since they last had a real get together. So much has happened since the holidays and it was nice to be surrounded by family again, even though Faye was missing from the reunion and Evan was at still at university. Soon enough it was time to bring in the girls belongings and say goodbye to his family.

The girls playing together peacefully in the back yard, he took to unloading the Jeep, his mother instructing him where to place to boxes in the house. With the final journey out to the car, his mother walked up to him, the happy look from before disappearing as her features became serious. Leaning against the side of the truck, he waited for her to speak to him.

'Jasper..' She started, the worried look she had been wearing so often recently taking its place back on her face. 'Your father.. His condition has been deteriorating recently so he recently went to the doctors. They called up back in a few days ago..' His mother continued with the story of how his father had been diagnosed with early on set Alzheimer's and how he would need to be put into a private nursing home, the sooner the better.

He stood there for a while, nodding when it felt appropriate and just taking in all of his mothers words. A frown settling onto his face, he brought his mother into an embrace as her eyes began to water. You could see in her eyes how terrified she was to lose the man she loved and Jasper knew just how it felt to be forgotten by the one person you love more than anything. Comforting her in his arms, once they separated, the next words out of his mothers mouth set a million thoughts rushing through his head.

'It's going to be expensive, and I'm not sure how many bills I'll be able to cover with our savings and ...' Jasper stopped her talking there, knowing he'd help his mother anyway he could, but he knew it would not be as simple as taking a job at an Asylum to pay for Evan's university.

'I'll see what I can do to help, mum. You know I'll always be here to help you.' His mother instigating the hug this time, he just held her until she was ready to let go. He needed to talk to Faye about all of this. Any help they could offer would have to be run past her anyway. She was part of the family and had the right to know what was happening with them all. 

An hour or so passed with the final goodbye's being said, sadness washing over him as he'd miss the girls who he'd grown accustomed to looking after. Sitting in the drivers seat of the car, he waved back at his family before setting off home to Bristol.

[jared-green]

My bruises shine || Solo

People were surrounding him, talking in urgent voices, and Jared had no idea what was going on around him. A strong, sharp pain in his chest was causing him agony and that was all he could focus on. Not the feeling of guilt still surrounding him, not the words spoken around him, not even the visions of the girl he loved that replaced his view of the moving ceiling.

Being wheeled down the corridors, his eyes were closed and his thoughts were plagued by the familiar brunette and their time together. It was as if his brain was aware that this time would be his last chance to remember her and the happier times that she brought him. She was worth the pain, but that was something he would never tell her. Probably because he would never get the chance too.

Rolling his head to the side, he continued to cough up blood, the movement making him groan as the shooting pain in his chest only worsened, making him overlook the throbbing in his head. Why couldn't they just put him out of his misery? He knew that the pain killers they supplied would numb the pain, so what were they waiting for? Complaining in his thoughts seemed to do the trick though as blackness soon seeped into his thoughts and he passed out, unaware of what would happen to him.

~

Waking up was an odd sensation to Jared, he ached all over, but overall no particular pain stood out. His eyes fluttered around the room, recognizing the familiar decorations announcing that his whereabouts was the nurses station. Lifting his head was a big mistake, the pain that flared up wasn't too bad, having been numbed by the meds, but his eyes widened at the tube that was sticking out of his chest. What had happened to him?

His hand coming up to inspect the tube, he saw the cast covering his arm. What had he forgotten about the past twenty-four hours? The last thing he remembered was being wheeled into the nurses station in a lot of pain. The memories before that were patchy, unrealistic, until he remembered walking towards the kitchen. He knew he shouldn't have exited his barricade today. Foolish, idiotic imbecile.

Inspecting the rest of his body to the best of his abilities, he gathered what information he could. A broken arm, something wrong with his chest, it burned when he breathed, so maybe it was more his lungs than his chest. His ribs were bandaged up tightly and his knuckles were slightly bruised. Unable to see his face, he was unaware of the bruises covering his skin, or the one of the back of his head.

Even though the pain that scorched through his chest when he breathed, he was fine. Happy even. No visitors would be allowed in here, no one would be able to bother him expect for the nurses, and even then he would send them away. He didn't want their help, just the food and pain medicine they would bring in with them. Maybe everything does have it's upside.

So closing his eyes with a small smile on his face, he nuzzled his head into the pillow, wincing as it began to throb, but darkness took over him quickly as he was pulled into another deep sleep.

[jasper-williams]

Artistic appeal || Solo

Jasper had been placed on the night shift again. When new patients were coming in everyday and staff numbers were dwindling, shifts were starting to double up, and Jasper wasn't in the right position to say no to extra hours. The money it brought in was all too needed when he had two babies to look after and a roof to keep over their heads.

Clicking his pen and laying down on the table, Jasper closed the file he had been working on. Paperwork had become a great part of the job now that Kingston was growing in population. So much so that he barely had time to walk the halls checking for trouble, not that he was complaining about that. Ever since the incident with the escaped patients, Jasper had preferred not to be at Kingston altogether, but that wasn't exactly an option right now.

Leaning back on his chair, he placed his hands at the back on his neck, closing his eyes for what felt like the briefest of moments, but in reality was a little longer. His dreams were pleasant, a little too pleasant for the restless night's Jasper had been having recently. Images of the bloody clown masks often plagued his dreams, making it impossible for him to have a good night's sleep. More often than not he would wake in the middle of the night and head downstairs, but not before he checked on Sammy and Lizzie.

As always, Jasper was awoken from his slumber with his memories from that time. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he leaned forward and rested his elbows on the desk in front of him. His heart rate beating faster than normal, he took a minute to calm himself down before looking up at the clock. It read 5:27 and Jasper silently groaned, Joe's snore in the corner warning him not to make too much noise.

Moving up and over to the computer the guards shared, Jasper switched it on in the hopes of distracting himself until his shift was over. The old piece of machinery whirling to life, he logged on to check his e-mail. To his surprise, one of the few he received was from his old university professor. Clicking the e-mail open, he skimmed through the words, realizing what was written.

'Jasper, a local art gallery had asked me to submit some of my students work for a competition of theirs. After judging the artwork received, I found one of your old paintings that you failed to collect since you left. I submitted the piece of art alongside my other students work, and I am pleased to say that you have been chosen as a finalist. You work will be displayed on the 15th December at the gallery, and if your piece wins not only will you receive a cash bonus, you will be granted a year's work experience at the gallery on full pay. More details have been sent to your home in the post. Congratulations Jasper, I look forward to hearing from you. Neil."

Jasper took a minute to process what he was reading. He had been entered into an art competition. His work had been chosen as one of the final pieces. People actually liked his work. He was shocked to say the least. Replying to his professor, he thanked him, asking whether he would be there on the night. A few more words were typed before he clicked send and logged the computer off. A faint smile grew on his lips as he thought about the news. 

His thought process was soon interrupted by Anita walking into the guards office, whistling loudly and slamming the door shut, abruptly walking Joe from his sleep. The two of them chuckled as Joe muttered a few curse words under his breath before resting his head back on the desk. Anita's arrival had stated that it was time for Jasper to head home for the day. "Good luck with him." He joked, standing out of the chair and beginning to collect his things.

"I've faced much scarier men than him, Jasper. I'll be fine." She chuckled, sitting at her desk and popping her feet up. "Send my love to Faye and the kids." She finished ad he nodded his head at her before exiting the room. The words from the e-mail still fresh in his mind, he climbed into his Jeep and set off home. All he had to do now was tell Faye the news and attempt to sleep. Though the latter seemed such a far distance away.

[jared-green]

Feels like I'm loosing my mind || Solo.

Tuesday, 2nd November 2012. 20:00

20:10

Deciding not to been bother waiting anymore, Jared took off in the rain, heading inside the asylum. Reaching the doors, he was soaked through to the skin. Shoving his hands into his pockets, he headed down the hallways, knowing where he was going, but hating to admit it. Really, he should go get cleaned up, but he didn't feel like it. What he felt like was going to see the one person who would tell him how stupid he was for not changing.

Walking down the hallways it was clear that something was out of place. Something was off. The lights kept flickering and no one was in sight, but still he paced on towards Kate's room. 

20:15

Jared heard shots being fired. Being put on alert, he quickly rushed to Kate's room, not being too far away now. He needed to get her out of here, and the first place to look would be her room. The shots growing closer now, he still felt little panic, his arrogant self thinking he was too good for anything to happen to himself. He should have known better, though. It's usually the arrogant one's that get hurt.

Arriving at Kate's door he banged on the door, not realizing the attention he was bringing to himself. "Kate?! You in here?" He voice rang out down the silent hallways, drowning out any footsteps that were heading his way. 

20:17

Assuming Kate hadn't barricaded herself into her room, Jared knew the next place she would be. The roof. Her place. Turning away from the door in the direction of the roof, Jared saw a figure out of the corner of his eye. Having no time to react, the but of a gun was smashed over his head, knocking him to the floor. From there he would have been able to put up a fight, but Jared was not graceful. Falling hard, his head banged onto the floor, a loud crack ringing out.

20:23

Blood spilt and falling in and out of consciousness, Jared laid motionless on the floor, wondering why he hadn't been finished off. But that was until blackness took over completely.

[jared-green]

This is why we can't have nice things || Solo.

I don't care what you're thinking, I don't care what you're saying.

That may be the one thing left to do, but it didn't mean that Jared was doing it. To be honest, Jared had plotted out couple of escape routes the first day he ever arrived in Kingston, but he wasn't willing to act on them just yet. There were bigger things to sort out, and yes, that would mean swallowing his pride and attempting to apologize, and those were two things Jared never did.

Let's just make things work, There's nowhere better then this.

Jared didn't believe in remorse, especially not apologizes, but it was what was something that needed to be done. Not for the sake of it, but he was actually trying to fix things. And he knew it wasn't going to work out well, nothing ever did. But at least he was willing to try, right?

Not likely. Even with pure intentions Jared was still Jared, and that always got him stuck in sticky situations. Though most of the time, Jared was a walking contradiction. Plan, plot, think things through. Maybe he did those things most of the time, but never with his words. And that was what had gotten him here today. Too bad he was terrible at apologies, mainly because he never gave them.

When everything is gone, we'll still be begging for more.

What if it was all in vain? The thought sprang into his mind and he just shrugged and shook his head. So his efforts were thrown back into his face, he was pretty sure that was what was going to happen anyway. Maybe even a little violence, he was prepared for all of that. But even when things ended, he had a habit of wanting more. Too bad Kate was just as stubborn as he was.

Jared felt like a fool. A complete and utter idiot. Like a love struck teenager, chasing after a girl. That was not him, it was never him. But he wanted to know if he could still fix it. Maybe not to where it was before, but he needed one friend in here. Hopefully, it would be her.

[jasper-williams]

Mama Williams || Solo.

Maggie packed her bags as soon as Jasper had rang her. Sure her husband was in hospital, but he was stabilized, slowly making improvements. It seemed like all she was doing was travelling to and from hospitals, but now her son needed her. Getting on the train, she counted down the hours until she arrived in Bristol.

Waiting for his mothers train to arrive, Jasper stood with his hands in his pockets and shuffled nervously on his feet. It has been a couple of weeks since he had last seen his mother, and things weren't as easy as they were back then. Evan was extremely ill, and no doubt Jasper would get blamed for not getting him to a doctor earlier. He felt bad enough for that, he didn't need his mother to remind him of that.

Jasper heard his mother before he saw her, her calling out his name above the noise of the other commuters. Turning around, he placed a small smile on his face and walked over to his mother. "Hey mom. You have a nice trip?" He asked her, doing what the brothers had learnt a long time ago to do. Change the subject off themselves, and onto her.

"I was worried sick out of my mind and had someone smelling of alcohol sitting besides me. He also wasn't aware of what personal space is." She spoke in her usual tone, it sounding a little harsh to anyone who didn't know her, but it was just how she usually sounded.

Taking his mother's luggage off of her, he leaded them towards the car, exchanging small talk about her journey. He knew they would soon get onto the bigger things that matter, but for now, it was just peaceful. So once they arrived at his Jeep, he unlocked it for her to climb into the passengers side, whilst he put her luggage into the boot.

Climbing into the drivers side, he looked at his mother. "I figured we'd go straight to the hospital." His mother simply nodded, her face staying blank but her eyes giving away the pain and worry she was feeling. So Jasper drove in silence, occasionally glancing over to his mother to check how she was going on.

Parking up, Jasper had never seen his mother go so long without talking, and this worried him. So he quickly showed her the way to the ICU, the nurses stopping them just before they could go in. "His fever is raising, whilst his pulse is decreasing. He's still under heavy sedation, but you're free to visit him."

His eyes flickered to his mothers, but she just didn't say a word and walked into his room. Following after her, he stayed silent. There he was, same as yesterday, laid in the hospital bed, looking lifeless. Maggie moved over to the side of him, sitting in the chair next to the bed. No doubt she was feeling stressed. Jasper could feel it emitting off of her.

"How long have you known? How long has he been ill? Why is he this bad, Jasper?" She quizzed him, obviously fearing the worse. She wasn't angry, more sad, broken down. It wasn't obvious to anyone who didn't know his mother, but she was slowly being broken. Too much happening at once, things never proving easy for her. She was the superhero of their family, keeping them all running together smoothly. But now, there was nothing she could do but sit around and wait. Wait for improvements in both her son and husband.

"He told me it was a cold. Then I left to take care of Jenny and Claudia. When I came back, he was worse, so I wanted to take him to the hospital, then I gave him a week to get better. Yesterday I found him and dragged him straight here. I had no idea." He spoke, standing beside his mother and placing a hand on her shoulder, which she placed her own hand over. "He'll pull through. He's strong, a fighter." He finished, not sure who he was trying to comfort. Himself or is mother.

Magnolia took a few more minutes to compose herself before nodding her head. "Of course. He's a Williams. We pull through the toughest things together." And with that, she stood, patting her sons hand and saying a quick and loving goodbye. "Now, where's this wife of yours and where have you bee hiding her?"