Mono a Mono
Summary: Liam arrives in Montana and takes a visit to the Walker Ranch
Word Count: 3484
Pairings: Drake x Riley, Jackson x Eleanor
Warnings: Mentions of violence, Mentions of character death, Mentions loss of a mother, Mentions of alcohol consumption
A/N: Just a reminder, here’s a link to my character profiles if you’re interested. You learn somethings about a few that won’t be written directly in the series: here.
Song Choice: n/a
Part 17 of WP. To catch up, read here.
Tag List: @fromthedeskofpaisleybleakmore @kingliam2019 @texaskitten30 @glaimtruelovealways @bobasheebaby @bascmve01 @burnsoslow @the-everlasting-dream @ao719 @sirbeepsalot @janezillow @i-bloody-love-drake-walker @kimmiedoo5 @choices97 @marshmallowsaremyfavorite @lodberg @edgiestwinter @marshmallowsandfire @hopefulmoonobject @iaminlovewithtrr @cordonianroyalty @rafasgirl23415
“It would’ve been less suspicious if we had just picked Liam up!” Riley whines, anxiously bouncing up and down.
“But everyone knows he’s here.”
“Yeah, but…” she flops down on the nursey floor. Drake is trying to once again pick a paint color. They have it narrowed down to Heavy Goose, Moonshine and Gray Owl; all shades of gray that look exactly the same to Drake.
“Seriously? He’ll be here soon, you’re acting like a child.”
“I haven’t seen him in forever!” She huffs, crossing her arms across her chest.
“And if you don’t help pick a color, I’ll lock you in here until you do and it’ll be even longer until you can see him.”
Her jaw drops, “Drake Thomas Walker, you wouldn’t!”
“Two words: Try. Me.”
“Technically that’s four.” She sticks her tongue out at him.
He rolls his eyes, seriously contemplating locking her in the nursery. He just wants to get the room together and really doesn’t’ want to wait until the last minute, unlike Riley.
Riley’s head snaps up when she hears a car heading up their gravel, it’s not until there’s shuffling on the front deck that Drake starts towards the door. She tries to slip out of the door, but Drake takes a larger stride; locking her in the nursery.
Drake opens the door right as Liam has raised his fist to knock. Liam and Bastien are standing on the porch while a few other guards are scattered through the property. The friends stand there before pulling each other into a hug.
“It’s been a while.” Drake moves so Bastien and Liam can come inside.
“Thanks.” Liam looks around, it’s the first time he’s been in their home, “I like the farmhouse décor.” He takes in the nice blend of neutral colors mixed with wooden textures. The only reason he even knows as much as he does is because Riley sent him hundreds of photos and samples while choosing how to decorate.
“She spends more money trying to make half of the décor when she could buy it for less. She says it’s more authentic.”
Liam chuckles, “Speaking of, where is she?
They pick up on faint banging when Liam looks at him through furrowed brows.
“Second door on the right.”
Liam walks down the hall, skeptical. Riley isn’t one to do jump scares, but he’s still hesitant. When he opens the door, he finds a pouting Riley. When she looks up at him, she jumps into his arms; Liam stumbles back into the hallway.
“Drake locked me in here! He’s trying to keep us apart, Li!”
Liam gasps playfully, “Drake! How could you! Trying to keep my Riles from me!”
“He so effortlessly locks his pregnant wife in a room!”
Drake glares at them, “Honestly, you both are two halves of a whole idiot, you know that.”
Riley untangles herself from around Liam as he gently places her feet on the ground. Before they both ask, “But I’m your favorite idiot right!” at the same time.
Drake shares a look with Bastien who holds his hands up, staying out of it before they all walk into the living room.
* * Liam looks up at the ceiling as he lays on the guest room’s bed. He wouldn’t say that he’s nervous but there’s definitely a weight in his chest. He felt confident when he made the plans to come to the states, still felt confident when he got here, but now he feels the weight of the world.
He squints as the room slowly feels with the hallway light as the door opens.
“Li?”
“Riley?”
She sits on the edge of the bed, tapping his arm so he scoots over before she crawls in bed next to him. “You nervous?”
He gulps, he should be used to it now, but Riley has an uncanny ability to just know how he feels, know what’s going on with him. “I’m scared, stupid right?”
She leans her head on his shoulder, “I’d be scared too. This is uncharted territory for almost everyone.”
“I just don’t want to lose those good memories of my mom.” The words get stuck in his throat as he blinks away tears.
“You don’t have to.” She toys with her wedding band, “I mean, yeah you’re going to hear somethings you probably don’t want to, but it doesn’t change the memories you have. Those can’t be changed because whatever Jackson says can’t change that she actually loved you.”
“It’s just hard to feel that way knowing that she left.”
Without thinking, Riley does what she does best; saying exactly what pops in her head, “What if she didn’t want to leave?”
“Huh?”
“I’m just saying, all we know is that she left. We don’t know the why yet.”
“I…I guess…well I never thought about it that way.” He runs his hands through his hair, “I just immediately assumed it was because I wasn’t good enough for her to stay.” Riley sits up immediately and faces her best friend, “Liam Rys, King of Cordonia or not, if you ever think you aren’t good enough again I will punch you. How could you think that?”
“Because she left, Riles. One day she was there and then one day she wasn’t. Then I found out she got pregnant she picked that baby over me.”
“Maybe it’s wishful thinking,” she rubs her hand over her stomach, “but I find it hard to believe she didn’t do this to protect you. I know I’d do anything to protect my child.”
“You’re gonna be a great mom, ya know?”
“I can’t even pick out a paint color, what am I going to do when trying to figure out if they’re hungry or tired?” “I can’t help with that, but I can help you with paint colors.” He jumps out of the bed, grabbing her hand and pulling her to the nursery, “Okay. Pick a number one through three.”
“This is silly.” She looks at his pajamas, “Actually those pants are silly.”
He looks down, they were navy blue pants with apples on them, “They were a gift!”
She just gives him a side look, “Not a gag gift?” “Pick a number before I lock you in here.”
She lets out a breath, “Two.”
“Good choice. Baby Walker will be surrounded by,” he scans over the paint squares on the wall, “Gray Owl.”
“But,” she makes a face; unsure of the decision.
“Nope. It’s Gray Owl.”
Drake walks into the room, mid-yawn, “It’s after three in the morning. Do I even want to ask?”
“Riley picked a paint color.”
“She’ll just change it.” Drake shrugs.
“Not this time.” Liam smiles, sleep washing over him.
Riley smirks, if Liam could face his fears and the uncertainty that comes with tomorrow then surely, she could keep a paint color.
* * Liam and Drake pull up to Jackson’s ranch. Liam is already out the door before Drake has put the truck into park. He storms up the driveway and his blood began to boil when he sees Jackson walking down the stairs to meet them.
His pace increases and he can feel the anger as he stomps on the ground. Jackson has a hesitant smile on his face. He reaches his hand out to shake Liam’s just as Liam’s fists slams into Jackson’s jaw.
“Liam!”
Jackson stumbles backwards as his body reacts to the impact. Liam gives him zero change to recover before slugging him again and he’d have gone for a third if Drake hadn’t have pulled him back.
“Get off of me!” Liam shouts, his body radiates anger.
“Only if you’ll calm down.” Drake tugs him backwards once more, separating him and Jackson more.
“Fine!” Liam shrugs him off before running his hands through his blonde hair. He hadn’t planned on being physically aggressive towards Jackson. He wanted to be civil, he knew that’s what his mom would’ve wanted, but there was something about seeing his face that brought all his emotions to a head.
To him, Jackson was the man who ruined his family and Drake’s as well. While he was pissed that he lost his mom, Drake lost both of his parents and he would defend Drake his whole life.
“Don’t worry, I’m fine, Drake.” Jackson rubs his jaw, “Though I always thought Leo would be the fighter, not you.”
“Because you know me so well, huh?”
“I get it, I understand.”
“Do you? You had to believe your mother died only to find out she ran off with the help!?”
“Liam, that’s my dad.”
“Drake. Let him get it out.”
“Get it out? What? You think I’m going to yell and then we’ll shake hands and swap stories of my mother?” Liam shouts, “Oh, wait! You have more than me.”
“I know that won’t happen. I didn’t expect it too. I can’t imagine how hard this is on you. I just want you to try to understand.” Jackson takes a step towards Liam.
“Understand what!? You’re talking as if you’re telling me that Santa isn’t real. How do you possibly expect me to understand?”
“Li, I know it seems hard to but I understand things, just hear him out.” Drake tries to mediate but to be honest, he’s not sure Liam is even listening. If he knew that Liam was going to be closed minded and violent, he wouldn’t have brought him here.
“It’s not the same for me as you Drake!”
“How? We both believed our parents were dead. Both found out they aren’t.”
“No, Drake, it’s not. Your dad isn’t really dead, but my mom is. I’m sorry if this seems harder for me to understand.” Liam shakes his head as he walks away from the Walkers. He needs space, air to breathe and he feels like he’s suffocating standing here.
Drake begins to walk after him, but Jackson puts his arm out, stopping him in his tracks.
“Let him go. He needs time.”
“But…”
“No, Drake. He’s right. This isn’t something you two can work through together right away.”
* * Liam finds himself sitting outside the barn. His idea to wear khakis wasn’t faring well; could a king even wear jeans? He should’ve stayed in Cordonia; coming here didn’t change anything or make anything better. Part of him thought Olivia would have stopped him, but he knew that he couldn’t depend on her to save him.
“Hey. You must be Liam.”
He looks up and freezes. Drake told him that Luke heavily resembled him, but seeing him in person made it uncanny.
“And you, Luke?”
Liam looks at Luke, they have a lot of shared features of his mother, their mother. But his eyes weren’t hers, they were signature Walker brown eyes. How could this person in front of Liam look so much like him, but make him feel so much anger?
Luke sat next to him, “I know this must be hard.”
“Oh, you do?” Liam spits at him. He didn’t mean to say it so rudely, but no one could understand how he felt.
“I lost her too.”
Liam whips his head to the side, looking at Luke. In all his anger, he never thought of that. Regardless of when, they both shared the loss of Eleanor. The loss of their mother.
Luke wipes a few tears away, “I couldn’t imagine losing her twice like you though.”
It has been years since Luke had spoken about his mother, Jackson always said she wouldn’t want them to dwell on the sadness of her passing, but the joyfulness of her life. Though he wouldn’t really talk about their memories with her either. He only lost her three year ago, but Liam lost her twenty years ago yet here he was crying while Liam remained stoic.
“What was,” Liam’s voice cracks, “was she like?”
“Like sunshine. If that makes sense.”
Liam smirks, he knew exactly what he means. The few memories he could remember clearly, that’s how she was, “It definitely makes sense.”
The two sat in silence, an awkward silence. The person next to them is a complete stranger yet someone they share a bond with. Liam isn’t ready to let his guard down, while they share a mother, he still wears the last name of the man Liam hates the most. But he trusted Drake and he was a Walker.
“Is it rude to say this is awkward?” Luke asks, unsure of what to really do.
Neither of them is sure of what to say. Luke went from being an only child to be the youngest of four while Liam went from being the youngest to the middle child. Or technically an only to the oldest. There was a lot they could talk about; their mother, their childhoods, who they are, but there was still uncharted territory between they that prevented it.
Although they weren’t speaking, there is something comforting about the exchange. Just sitting there next to someone who shares the one person you felt lost without. Luke goes to speak up when he sees someone rushes over to them and begins to panic.
“Your Majesty!” The figure says, standing just a few feet from Liam who seems unfazed.
Majesty? Where exactly is he from? Luke looks at his eldest brother confusingly.
“Yes, Bastien?”
“I turn around for one minute and you run off.” He is breathless, as if he had to run a far distance, “You act more and more like Leo some days.”
Liam smirks, “Oh, Bas. Don’t tempt me.” He looks over at Luke who looks more confused than he’s ever seen anyone look, “I’d like some time with Luke, can we have some privacy?”
Bastien just nods before walking off, but keeping a reasonable distance from the king.
“Why’d he call you ‘your majesty’? That’s a weird greeting.”
“I guess Jackson never told you.” Luke shakes his head and Liam rubs the back of his neck, “Well, uhm…I’m the king of the country that Jackson and Elea…mom, left from.”
Luke feels like he’s going to pass out, he feels dizzy and his face has paled. He had to be joking, right? A king? Seriously? They have those in more than just England? I really should’ve paid attention in history class.
“It’s a lot to take in.” Liam chuckles before Luke jumps up and drops down into a deep bow.
Liam feels a smile twitching on his lips before he starts laughing. Luke looks up confused at his brother’s reaction. Wasn’t this how you addressed kings and queens? Several moments pass before Liam has stopped laughing and if it wasn’t for the fact it was a genuine laugh, he might have felt bad.
“I’m so sorry. That was just so…” he taps his finger to his lip looking for the right word, “Adorable? Innocent?”
Luke stared at his brother, slightly confused that he had just been called adorable. “Did I do it wrong?”
He shakes his head, “Not at all, but you just don’t need to do it. Yes, I’m still a king, but I’m not here on royal or diplomatic business. This trip is a personal one, so please, just treat me like Liam.”
“And who exactly is Liam?”
“Well, I guess he’s your older brother.” Liam lets out a nervous chuckle, “I don’t really know what to say, this is new for me.”
Luke wrings his hands together, there is something that he wants to bring up, but he’s scared. He isn’t sure if it would be pushing too far, if he’d be overstepping a line and even though he’s just met his, he doesn’t want to lose him just yet.
“Something on your mind?” Liam cocks his head to the side, “I might not know you, but I do know people. That look is exactly the kind I see when diplomats wear when they want to address a topic. A topic I might not want to hear.”
“I don’t want to hate my mom, our mom, but it’s hard to still see her like I used to now. Since I know the truth,” he shrugs with a sigh.
Liam understands completely. Though looking back the way he handled the news wasn’t very mature, but he’s done a lot of thinking. He doesn’t have all the pieces to the puzzle, he hasn’t fully come to his own conclusion, but things are becoming more clearly to him.
Luke panics at his silence, “I’m so sorry. I know you must blame me…”
“Blame you?”
“If mom didn’t have me, she would’ve stayed with you.” He clears his throat, trying to mask that his voice is breaking.
“But I don’t.” Liam shrugs when Luke’s head snaps in his direction, “You, personally, didn’t make the decision. Mom and Jackson did.”
“I…wow…that means a lot.” Luke stands up, “I think I need to go process today.”
Liam stands up and nods as Luke walks off, leaving him staring at the ground. This is proving to be a lot harder than he thought, but at least now he knew he wasn’t so alone. Yeah, he had Drake and Riley, but Luke was different. He wasn’t sure why exactly, but with Luke he feels a sense of comfort he hasn’t felt since he mom left.
* * Riley peaks around the corner when she hears the door shut. She’s not surprised when she sees just Liam standing there; she had a strong feeling he’d come back alone. He takes off his shoes by the door before walking to the couch; flopping down with a sigh.
“I have a new bottle of scotch with your name on it.” She walks into the living room with the bottle along with a glass for him.
“Thanks, Riles.” He takes the bottle, opens it and takes a quick swig right from the bottle. Riley stares at him, mouth slightly opened.
“What? Not like you can drink any.” He smirks at her as she just rolls her eyes, sitting down next to him.
“Want to talk about it?” She sighs, she hates seeing the two most important people to her so hurt. This is a huge mess that she isn’t sure anyone can come out unharmed from. To make matters worse, Liam seems to be the one who continuously comes out empty-handed at the end of the day: lost his mom, died dad, found out mom wasn’t dead only to learn she is actually dead now.
“After say,” he pretends to look at his watch, “a few more big swigs.” He tries to laugh, but can’t.
She’s looking at her best friend when she notices his right hand is red, “What’s up with that?”
“Can I get in a few more sips?” He tries to dodge the topic as Riley goes into the kitchen, coming back with a cloth filled with ice.
“Talk.”
“I punched him.” He winces a tad as she presses the ice to his knuckles, “Jackson, that is.”
Riley could say that she is surprised, but she’s not. Honestly, that had been her first reaction too. The way Jackson effortless recounted the story of how he met Bianca, how things were with him and Eleanor, he said it all as if somehow, he was the white knight. As if Constantine and Bianca had gotten in their way to prevent them from being together. It didn’t sit right with Riley.
“I’ll apologize tomorrow.” “I wouldn’t.”
“Riley! That is your father in law.”
She snorts, “Don’t remind me.” Liam raises his eyebrows, “Spill it.”
She lets out a deep breath and tell him how she wasn’t immediately supportive of the idea Drake had seen Jackson. And how now she isn’t sure it’s a great idea to just jump into things. How she understands he wants to get to know dad, but wishes he was more skeptical because who knows what all Jackson is going to say and how that will shift what Drake thinks of him.
“I think I’m ready to talk about it now.” Liam holds up the bottle, now only two-thirds full.
“Then let’s talk about it.”
“I thought I could handle seeing him. That I’d be able to come here and get the answers I’ve been wanting. Then I saw his face and this rage built up, all I could think about was how I grew up without my mom and he got her. He got all those memories that I missed out and I snapped.” He takes another sip of the scotch before shaking his head.
Riley gives him a sympathetic smile, gently placing a comforting hand on his arm.
“But then,” he chuckles, “I met Luke and it might’ve been weird at first, but he’s actually not that bad.”
“Well duh, he’s related to you.” She playfully nudges his shoulder, “Maybe since you aren’t ready to talk to Jackson, you can talk more to Luke tomorrow.”
Liam nods, “Yeah, I think that’s a good idea.”
