It's a New Day

Gregory Smith/ 23 years old/ Dead in the Murder House/ Death Date: 1973

[wxywordsoul]

sydneyreed-inthemurderhouse‌:

ofrcses‌:

Christine had had loves before Greg, before death. But none of them were as pure. Most were out of lust, and a majority were unfaithful. She’d never really had a good experience with men —- her father was strict, but an exception. He was kind, and valued her, respected her. And the spectrum went from men like him, to men like Ricky. 

She was taught that any man who respected her wouldn’t even think of another woman, let alone touch them. And those thoughts, perhaps, came circling back to her, leaving her silent for a moment as she contemplated her response to what Greg had said. Those bright blue eyes glanced up to catch his gaze, and she was left speechless. What could she say at this point that wouldn’t make her come off as weak, or still hurt, or angry? Too soon to forgive, too soon to understand. She just nodded. 

The whole scene was making Sydney feel more and more out of place with each passing second. When she’d first visited the murder house, so many years ago, the thought of becoming the person she was now would’ve been repulsive. Sure, Greg had verbally lashed out at her in moments of anger, but that didn’t justify the way she’d treated him. Or the way she’d treated Christine. 

Maybe she hated them because she knew what she’d thrown away. Because instead of laughing and joking with Greg, making the most of their time together, she spent her nights alone- thinking of the past and all she had done wrong.

“You don’t need to love me,” she said, without bitterness, but with a shake to her voice that she couldn’t avoid. “I need to just… move on. It’s my fault, I shouldn’t be blaming other people for… for everything. I shouldn’t be ruining what you have together because I was stupid enough to fall for S- for his lies. I’m just… I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” 

This situation had turned into one giant nightmare. There was a pregnant pause after Sydney spoke, leaving Greg to think. She wasn’t wrong. What was he expecting to happen out of all of this? That they just drop all the shit that had ever gone wrong between them and be best friends? Not to mention the fact that was going to have some serious atoning to do with Christine. Why the hell had he brought this on himself? 

Letting his hand fall back to his side, Greg simply shrugged. He knew it was a long shot to try and talk her out of what she was thinking. If anything, he was just pushing her further away. “Look if you ever need anything...,” He paused looking over at Christine, and sighing. “If you ever need anything...just call me, or...you know where my room is. Just don’t think you’re alone.” 

[wxywordsoul]

sydneyreed-inthemurderhouse‌:

As soon as Syd’s hand connected with Greg’s face, she could feel the anger ebbing away. Slowly, like a whole river of molasses, but still noticeably leaving. 

What he said made more sense than she wanted to admit. Sawyer had been borderline abusive to her before Greg came along, and he had shown her what love could be like. Gentle love, the kind that made her feel good about herself. Not the possessiveness and murder that came with Sawyer’s love. It still pained her to hear how he felt about Christine, but deep down she knew he was right. A stab of hurt echoed through her chest as she watched them hold hands. She’d ruined this. She’d caused this. If she had just been strong enough to leave Sawyer behind, something she still couldn’t completely do, none of this would have happened.

She felt tears pricking her eyes and wiped at them roughly. “I’m sorry,” she said, still slightly reluctant and feeling more and more out of place as the show of affection in front of her continued. “I shouldn’t have done that. And said that. I just… I was angry and upset, and I.. I’ve taken this out on both of you. And it’s my problem. Not yours. I’m just… sorry.”

Finally. At least things had stopped being an emotional mess...if only for a few moments. It was hard not to still feel wary of Sydney’s hands as Christine started to speak. All he needed was either of them to get offended again and smack his other cheek. 

Face softening even more as Christine asked her question, Greg looked down to the ground. “Like I said, I’m not stupid. I would have come to talk to you,” he said, trying his best to catch her eyes so that he could show her he wasn’t lying. “I don’t see why this has to hurt anything about us.” 

Sydney’s voice brought him back to her. So this was what it was really like to be between two women. The look of hurt on her face made him sigh. 

“Syd...I get it. I shouldn’t have brought it up. I just..I just want you to know that someone out there still loves you. Still cares about...you...and just...I don’t know. I just...I want you to know. 

[wxywordsoul]

sydneyreed-inthemurderhouse:

wxywordsoul:

ofrcses:

It was strange to be siding with Sydney on this one. It was strange from waking up that day next to the man she loved, only for it to progress to this situation. So he loved them both, but something about that hurt her. Was she a fool for having him on her mind before she slept, and first thing in the morning when she woke? Was she a fool for thinking someone could adore her for an eternity the way she wanted? She sure as hell felt like it. 

Tears began running down her cheeks, all this time she didn’t like Sydney —- but for what? The other girl only wanted the same thing she did. To love unconditionally and be loved in return. To be the one and only. It occurred to her then that this wasn’t their fault, and that Greg would never make up his mind. 

“Oh my God,” she exhaled, feeling overwhelmed. Anxious. She didn’t want what they had to be over, but with the details building up she was terrified as to how the night would end. Greg and Sydney had a whole history that Christine didn’t know much about, and she was sure Sydney didn’t know much about their history either. “I don’t deserve this. We don’t deserve this,” her lips quivered with her words. “You don’t want to play with us, but — you-you-…” Oh, she couldn’t even bring herself to continue, she almost choked on her own words as the tears began falling harder, and even more so when she realized how pathetic she must look to both of them. Things were too good, and this was the storm that always came with anything good.

Greg closed his eyes. No matter what he did or said, he would be the bad guy. Not like it wasn’t deserved. He really was the bad guy in all of this. He had just blown a hole wide open in his relationship with Christine. Not unlike the hole he blew with Sydney.

He had been happy with Christine. His love for her was like an endless pit. Which sounded pretty cliche, but it was the truth. He couldn’t imagine his afterlife without the blonde ghost being by his side. How was he supposed to do anything without her? She offered the kind of life he had always wanted–well, maybe not while he was alive, but the years in the house had changed him.

His hands went to wipe his face once more. The beginnings of a headache started to form right behind his eyes.

Despite everything in their relationship, Greg had been happy with Sydney. He had been happy and he had loved every moment with her. Despite their arguments, despite her love for Sawyer, he had loved her. He had some stupid hope that she would finally realize that she deserved better than the serial killer that manipulated her constantly.

Both of the women in front of him had given him children. Children that he would never replace in a million years. Dammit, he was an idiot.

“I’m sorry, this isn’t….none of this is coming out right. I don’t know what to say…”

Sydney could feel the anger bubbling up even further, very close to spilling over the edges of whatever container she’d managed to keep it in so far. They’d argued before. They’d fallen out and broken up and gotten back together with long nights of sex and talking and forgiveness, but this was different. She was hurt. Deeply. At both the hypocrisy of Greg and the fact that he didn’t seem- in her eyes- to want to come up with any solution other than grovelling.

Christine’s exclamation made Syd turn to her, taking in the tears and the sobs. Jesus. “See?” she snapped at Greg, gesturing at the blonde who was close to just turning into a blubbering mess. “You see what you’ve done to her? You don’t care if you hurt us. Either of us. As long as you get your rocks off. You can hate the other guys I’ve been with because they’re horrible and evil and whatever else you wanna call them. But how the fuck are you any better?”

The fact that he kept apologising hurt her even more. Why wasn’t he doing enough to make things right? Why was he standing there all meek and pathetic instead of fighting for one, or both, of them?

Sydney had had enough. She pushed herself away from the table, strode right over to him, and slapped him across the face.

“I don’t deserve this. We don’t deserve this..”

The second the tears started swelling in her eyes, Greg’s heart dropped to his stomach. This had to have been the worst decision he ever made. Maybe he should just try to find a way to turn back time and find a way to give Marley her gift away from Sydney. Avoid this entire mess together and just continue to be happy with Christine. He was happy. He loved her so goddamn much, and now because of his actions she was crying.

Fuck, I really am an idiot.

He wanted to bang his head against the countertop. Why wasn’t any of this getting through to the two women. It wasn’t that he was trying to play games. He wanted to be up front and honest. It wasn’t like he told them to have a three way. If anything he was just clearing the air between them.

“...But how the fuck are you any better?”

Wait, why the hell am I a bad guy in all of this?

That brought him around. How was he any better than Sawyer, the fuckhat who had killed her and then manipulated her worse than he ever had? Just because he loved Sydney and Christine at the same time suddenly meant that he was worse than that asshole? Eyebrows scrunching together, Greg was about to say something when Sydney’s hand came out of nowhere and smacked him across the face.

Head whipping back so that he was able to look at her once more, Greg was barely able to contain his anger. He understood how she could be upset that he was in love with her. The girl didn’t understand love if it had run her over ten times with a semi. But her smack had just sent him over the edge.

“I’m allowed to love both of you. Just like you were allowed to love that asshole and me. I didn’t stop you from loving him. I hoped you would. I hoped you would see that someone could love you and treat you better than you could ever dream, but you didn’t. I was willing to give up all of my shit for you. And then Christine came out. My fucking world flipped on its head when I was with her. She loved me. I didn’t have to contend with some asshole that you would drop me for at the drop of a hat. That didn’t mean I stopped loving you, but it did mean that I could be happy too. You chose me because Sawyer left. She chose me because she wanted me. I’m risking everything by coming out and saying I love you.”

Greg had stood up by the time he was finished talking. Looking down at Sydney, his scowl softened as he looked over to Christine. His hand moved across the counter to be a fraction of an inch from Christine’s.

“I’m a hypocrite. I get it. But I’m not playing games. If I was playing games, I would have done something far worse than I’ve done. I’m stupid, but I’m not that stupid.”

[wxywordsoul]

ofrcses:

sydneyreed-inthemurderhouse:

Sydney clenched her jaw. It must’ve been the first time that she and Christine had agreed on anything- the first time she’d felt like they were on common ground. She nodded. “Selfish is an understatement,” she tagged onto Christine’s admission. “I think you’re being pathetic.”

As Greg continued to prattle on Sydney scoffed again, almost hurting her throat with the severity. “You don’t wanna go there? You don’t wanna-” She stopped, her voice beginning to shake and her eyes filling up. She wouldn’t let him make her cry. Fuck that.

“I was the happiest I’ve ever been with him. And you ruined everything. And for what? For this? To convince us that you wanna have your cake and eat it too? I’m so glad you’re willing to take the fault. That’s so noble of you.”

It was strange to be siding with Sydney on this one. It was strange from waking up that day next to the man she loved, only for it to progress to this situation. So he loved them both, but something about that hurt her. Was she a fool for having him on her mind before she slept, and first thing in the morning when she woke? Was she a fool for thinking someone could adore her for an eternity the way she wanted? She sure as hell felt like it. 

Tears began running down her cheeks, all this time she didn’t like Sydney —- but for what? The other girl only wanted the same thing she did. To love unconditionally and be loved in return. To be the one and only. It occurred to her then that this wasn’t their fault, and that Greg would never make up his mind. 

“Oh my God,” she exhaled, feeling overwhelmed. Anxious. She didn’t want what they had to be over, but with the details building up she was terrified as to how the night would end. Greg and Sydney had a whole history that Christine didn’t know much about, and she was sure Sydney didn’t know much about their history either. “I don’t deserve this. We don’t deserve this,” her lips quivered with her words. “You don’t want to play with us, but — you-you-…” Oh, she couldn’t even bring herself to continue, she almost choked on her own words as the tears began falling harder, and even more so when she realized how pathetic she must look to both of them. Things were too good, and this was the storm that always came with anything good.

Greg closed his eyes. No matter what he did or said, he would be the bad guy. Not like it wasn’t deserved. He really was the bad guy in all of this. He had just blown a hole wide open in his relationship with Christine. Not unlike the hole he blew with Sydney.

He had been happy with Christine. His love for her was like an endless pit. Which sounded pretty cliche, but it was the truth. He couldn’t imagine his afterlife without the blonde ghost being by his side. How was he supposed to do anything without her? She offered the kind of life he had always wanted--well, maybe not while he was alive, but the years in the house had changed him.

His hands went to wipe his face once more. The beginnings of a headache started to form right behind his eyes.

Despite everything in their relationship, Greg had been happy with Sydney. He had been happy and he had loved every moment with her. Despite their arguments, despite her love for Sawyer, he had loved her. He had some stupid hope that she would finally realize that she deserved better than the serial killer that manipulated her constantly.

Both of the women in front of him had given him children. Children that he would never replace in a million years. Dammit, he was an idiot.

“I’m sorry, this isn’t….none of this is coming out right. I don’t know what to say...”

[wxywordsoul]

ofrcses:

sydneyreed-inthemurderhouse:

Where should we go from there? Syd had to fight the scoff that she wanted to make. He was sat there as if he wanted them to come up with the solution, as though he wasn’t the one causing this.

She finished her drink in one swallow, setting the glass back down. Right now Syd wanted to be anywhere other than here, with anybody other than the two of them. She didn’t glance at Christine as she sat there looking pitiful. Instead she shook her head, glaring at him. “You’re a hypocrite.”

She was furious, and hurt, and heartbroken. “Remember when I said I loved both you and Sawyer? Remember what you did? What you said? You made me hate myself for how I felt. You made me feel like I was hurting you. On purpose. And now you do the same goddamn thing?” She fought to keep her voice from shaking. God, she was hurt. “I never stopped loving him. Or you. But you called me a slut. You called me a whore. What exactly are you wanting to happen this time?”

She felt out of place, oh how she really felt out of place. She couldn’t help the light cringe that took over her features as Sydney started going off. Christine couldn’t imagine falling in love with her killer, she wondered if the girl had some sort of Stockholm syndrome. Is that what had messed Greg and her up in the first place? She almost wanted to ask, but instead kept her mouth shut on the subject. She was good at that, at biting her tongue. 

“I think you’re selfish… I think you’re being very selfish. With both of us,” Christine managed to chime in. “We’re not toys, Gregory. You can’t just play with m-… with us like this,” she could feel tears welling up in her eyes. She wanted to be angry, she wished she could possess a rage that would get her point across, but she was far too sensitive. Far too emotional. “This isn’t right.”

He wanted to be a puddle. A puddle in the middle of the road where a car could run him over again and again. That would be better than seeing the hurt and hate in their eyes. Why he always had to put his foot in his mouth, Greg would never know. He had known he had spoken the wrong thing the second it came out of his mouth. Seriously, the puddle was sounding a whole lot better by the second.

“I didn’t...I wasn’t…” Their words had left him grasping for something. At least they were agreeing on something. “I’m a hypocrite. I’m...I’m the worst kind of hypocrite…” He shook his head, and poured himself another drink. He needed to get his words right. “I don’t want to play with either of you. And Sawyer...I’m not going to go there.” He leaned forward, elbows braced against the counter as his hands rubbed his face. The ghost couldn’t think of something that was nice to say about the man Sydney had been in love with since whatever the hell happened with them.

“I just...I would understand if either of you wanted nothing to do with me. As long as I got to see the kids, it would be fine. I just want..I want you two to have some kind of friendship. I ruined that. It was me...that just broke everything and I’m willing to take the fault.” Greg slammed down another drink, allowing himself to be berated before trying to say anything else.

[wxywordsoul]

ofrcses:

sydneyreed-inthemurderhouse:

Sydney hated Christine. Everybody knew it, and she didn’t exactly try to hide it. Still, despite the overwhelming urge to roll her eyes as the blonde brought her hands up to her mouth, Syd also felt a wave of sympathy. She knew how this felt. She’d seen the two of them together- felt the sharp pain of betrayal and heartbreak.

Looking at them both now, saying each other’s names like that alone would fix everything, she suddenly felt extremely out of place. Like a third wheel intruding on something intimately private. She wanted Greg. She loved Greg. But seeing them now made her feel very aware of the fact that he’d chosen to become a family with Christine, and not with her.

She was about to leave when Greg’s plea stopped her. There was no way sitting down and talking would make this better. It would only make things worse- if that was even possible. Still, she did her best to hide the wave of emotions stirring inside, and sat down on the edge of the chair, feeling ready to run at a moment’s notice.

How could it not hurt? She had to wonder. And to drink at a time like this? Well, she wasn’t above that. Christine lingered in the doorway a moment longer, truly and deeply contemplating whether or not she should leave them to it and find comfort elsewhere or… sit with them, talk, listen, like a mature adult might do. And she wasn’t about to let any ounce of immaturity take her over and create more drama by ghosting off without a trace. She owed it to her children to try, to not break down over this. 

Swallowing hard, barefooted she walked forward. It almost made her dizzy getting closer to the two of them, and it certainly didn’t feel right. But she proceeded regardless, and after what felt like an eternity (and for someone stuck in the Murder House, that was saying something), she found herself seated amidst them. That was one step, a courageous one even, but she didn’t talk. Instead she stared doe eyed and numbly at her hands.

This was going to either be the worst mistake he ever made, or turn everything around for the better...there really was no in between for Greg in that moment. Sydney hated Christine. Christine hated Sydney. And the common denominator just happened to be him. He just hoped that the two of them would still be talking to him after this.  At least for the children’s sake. 

Getting up quickly, he grabbed a third glass for Christine, and went about pouring some more of alcohol into all of the glasses. The male ghost knew that he should probably be the one to get the ball rolling, but he wouldn’t be able to do that until he had two more drinks down his throat. Dispensing the other two glasses to the women, he drank his like a quick shot and poured another one only to repeat the process one more time. 

“I love both of you.” There the words were out. “Where should we go from there?” 

[wxywordsoul]

ofrcses:

sydneyreed-inthemurderhouse:

Sydney tried not to think too deep into Greg’s silence. Her mind was her worst enemy, and all she could think was that she’d said too much. This was what she’d been avoiding: making a fool of herself by confessing everything to a man who couldn’t reciprocate. She was about to let her thoughts get the better of her when they both heard the sound of a throat being cleared.

Greg dropped his hands from the hug before Sydney even had a chance to see who it was. When her eyes landed on the blonde her face dropped, and she instinctually took a step back. Shit… She hated Christine, hated what she’d come between, but even she didn’t deserve to walk in on Syd confessing her love for the father of the blonde’s children. For what seemed like forever the painful silence continued, until Sydney finally spoke; her mouth dry. “I’m sorry. I didn’t- ah..” She stopped, genuinely at a loss for words. “I’ve had a lot to drink,” she lied. “I’m sorry. I should go.”

It was difficult for the blonde to say anything. Her whole world seemed to break apart right before her eyes, years of trust and love shattering. Christine was, for the first time in a long time, unsure of anything. She’d found comfort and safety in Greg, a connection that no one would ever understand. But what was it all really? As much as she wanted to run away from the situation, she couldn’t. 

“No,” the ghost shook her head, her voice meek and the hurt demanding to be noticed. “No you shouldn’t go, neither of you should. Greg…” Looking up from the floor, tears were welling in her eyes, and she could feel herself becoming more and more sensitive to the moment. Speaking his name hurt. She brought her hands to her mouth, unable to bring herself to say a word more. It was all on them now.

Greg’s hand shot out and grabbed Sydney’s arm lightly. Mostly to keep her there. He wasn’t about to let her leave feeling like shit as well. Shit. Shit. Shit. Looking up, his eyes went from Sydney’s to Christine’s--trying to implore each of them to stay. If only for just a few minutes longer.

“Christine…” The blonde’s voice nearly broke his heart when she said his name. Shit. “Christine…” Looking back down, this time towards the counter, his eyes fell back to the bottle. “Drink with us.” The words came out slowly, as if he was trying to figure out some good way to make this better.

 “I..I’m sorry,” he said to no one in particular. Greg wasn’t about to let his world fall apart so easily. He couldn’t lose either of the women standing before him, but he knew that they would rather be worlds away from each other. “We can sit. We can talk. This doesn’t...this doesn’t have to hurt us..” Greg could feel himself beginning to ramble so he shut up, and moved back to his spot at the counter and sat down. “Please...please..just sit?” His eyes again looked from Sydney to Christine, indicating the chairs waiting for them.

[wxywordsoul]

ofrcses:

sydneyreed-inthemurderhouse:

Even as she felt the relief of finally confessing her feelings out loud, Syd wondered if she’d made a mistake. Maybe she should’ve just acted like she thought of him as a friend, to make things easier? But his arms wrapped around her and suddenly everything else melted away. It had been months, possibly years- she’d lost count- since Greg had held her like that.

His confession reached her ears and she felt a small leap in her chest of wonderful surprise, and an immediate sharp pain of realisation that nothing could happen, regardless of how they felt. “You don’t have anything to apologise for, Greg. If it hadn’t been for- we were happy, and I ruined it. And I wouldn’t change- I have Marley. We have Marley. So I wouldn’t change any of it. But I just wish… I wish things could’ve worked out differently. For us.”

Christine stood silently at the entryway to the kitchen, hand resting on the frame. She hadn’t meant to eavesdrop, not that she’d heard an awful lot anyway. Just enough to make her feel wary, and a confession or two to make her double think a lot of her own feelings —- double think what Greg had told her. All in an instant. After all, it wasn’t easy to hear your lover declare their love to another. Quietly clearing her throat, the blonde looked from Sydney to Greg, then to the floor, unable to bring herself to speak. 

He tried. Greg really did try to speak. Had he wished that things would have worked out differently? Yes...in a way. He had wished that they had been able to leave as friends. He had wished he hadn’t lied about everything with Christine--mostly the pregnancy. He had wished that he could be in the same damn room with her without it ending in an argument. He had wished for a lot...but everything he and Syd had went through, Greg had learned to get over it. 

The sound of a throat clearing robbed Greg of the chance to tell Sydney what he had been thinking. Eyes turning to see who it was, the male ghost quickly dropped his hands. Fuck me with a pogo stick. Forcing a casual smile on his face, Greg leaned back against the kitchen counter. Opening his mouth to say something, he quickly closed it again. He wasn’t sure how long Christine had been standing there, but it was clearly enough. Slowly he followed her eyes down to the floor. 

[wxywordsoul]

sydneyreed-inthemurderhouse:

Sydney took another huge gulp of bourbon, grimacing as it burned her throat. She knew she needed to stop talking, but now that Greg was here everything she’d been bottling up for months was spilling out. She looked down at her glass, her voice soft.

“I never stopped loving you.” There. Now it was out she felt a weight lifted from her chest, but she knew it wouldn’t solve everything. “I know nothing can happen. I know you have your own family now, but I just- I can’t help feeling like this. It’s why I’ve stayed away from you for so long.”

Greg was momentarily lost at Sydney’s confession. What was he able to say that didn’t leave her hating him again? Of course, he still loved her. Deep down, he knew that was something that would never go away. But how was he supposed to tell her that without it feeling like he was just saying it to make her feel better. 

Taking another long drink--this time straight from the bottle--Greg stood and walked over to where Sydney was sitting. Hugging her quickly, he smiled down at her. “I still love you too. And I’m sorry...” 

[wxywordsoul]

sydneyreed-inthemurderhouse:

Sydney could feel her mouth growing dry. She still loved Greg, and always would. That’s why she had stayed away from him, because she was terrified that she’d end up confessing just how much she cared for him. As well as how much she hated him. But that hate was growing smaller by the second. 

“I miss it too,” she admitted. “And you didn’t make a mess of anything. It was me. I was… I messed you around. With Sawyer. With everything. I wasn’t fair to you.”

Greg shrugged and shook his head as she began to confess more. This was a difficult conversation to be thrown into, and he could feel the familiar tension rise between his shoulder blades. He couldn’t help the feelings he still had for Sydney. She was Marley’s mother, and not only that...she was one of the first friends he made when he had come out of hiding. He would never stop caring for her--no matter what happened between them. 

“I think we both could take the blame, if we’re going to be honest. But...I never stopped...ca..caring for you...” 

[wxywordsoul]

sydneyreed-inthemurderhouse:

“I don’t know.. I don’t think you’re up for it,” Sydney teased. “I mean, it’s been a long time since you’ve drawn me, you might’ve lost your touch.” She took another sip of the bourbon, before laughing softly. “Alright, I’ll lay off. No pressure at all.”

She paused, wondering if she should keep speaking- if she should actually voice everything she was feeling in that moment. “I mean it, though. Those times we’d just sit in my room and you’d sketch… I used to love it.”

It was strange how good easy it was to fall into being comfortable around Sydney again. Something he had sorely missed during the times that she couldn’t stand to be around him.  Laughing along with her at her gentle teases, Greg took another drink from his bourbon. 

Opening his mouth to make a comment back, he quickly closed it once her confession was out there. Swallowing a lump of saliva that had suddenly accumulated in the back of his throat, Greg looked down--feeling guilty all over again. Should he have stayed this long? Hand coming up to scratch the back of his neck, the ghost looked back up to try and meet her eyes.

“I miss it...if I’m being honest. Everything was simpler before we...before I made a mess of it all.” 

[wxywordsoul]

sydneyreed-inthemurderhouse:

Sydney laughed softly, shaking her head. One of the things she loved the most about Greg was his art. When they first met she’d fallen in love with his drawings of her and his sketches of the house. She still felt a sharp pang of guilt when she thought of how she’d burned most of them during one of their more hurtful arguments.

“I guess a family portrait could be nice,” she shrugged, half joking. It would be nice, but she certainly didn’t want Greg to feel like he had to create something for her. “I used to enjoy watching you draw.”

Eyebrows quirking slightly, Greg smiled. “I don’t see a problem with that. You’re just lucky I’m so used to drawing you and Marley,” he said, winking at the last part of his sentence. Drinking the rest of the contents in his glass, he poured himself another one. Smile widening, a soft chuckle escaped his lips. “Yeah? I don’t feel the pressure at all.” 

[wxywordsoul]

sydneyreed-inthemurderhouse:

Sydney watched quietly as Greg looked for more liquor. With a house full of college kids, and crammed with depressed spirits looking for a way to escape reminders of their fate, alcohol was always easy to come by. She gave a soft smile as he pulled out a bottle- bourbon.

“I don’t think they’ve updated the library since before I died,” she shrugged, reaching for the bottle and pouring out a glass for herself. “And I spent most of my time in hiding just reading through what we have, so..” She drifted off into silence, taking a large gulp of the liquor. She still kept up with new releases by taking a novel or two from the college rooms, but for the most part the books she found were the same ones repeatedly. It seemed that college reading lists were updated even less often than the library was.

Few of the inhabitants, dead or not, were as interested in the books as she was. She’d seen Sawyer read Moby Dick, and Spencer read Fox in Socks, but that was it. And even through Greg’s interested guise, she knew he was another ghost who preferred to avoid the library and its contents. He had his own hobbies.

“So… do you still draw?”

It was common knowledge to the people that knew him that Greg was not the biggest reader. In fact, in the time that he had been stuck in the house, the ghost could not remember the last time he had even stepped into the library. Before he had met Sydney, Greg hadn’t known anyone that had gone in it either. It was strange to think that someone like him had been able to have two women in his life that were strong and smart, and well enjoyed reading books. 

In life, that hadn’t been the case. The women Greg often chose to take home were women who didn’t want to talk rather then use their bodies in various ways. Thinking about his life before always made him think Ricky deserved a giant thank you, but everything the psycho had done since his death made that impossible. 

“..do you still draw?” 

Looking up, Greg raised an eyebrow. “Looking to commission something?” 

[wxywordsoul]

sydneyreed-inthemurderhouse:

As Greg talked about the twins Sydney took the glass of wine and sipped it, not trusting herself to speak. That Greg had gotten Christine pregnant in the first place, not to mention the fact that he’d then hidden it from her, still burned painfully. But she wouldn’t let it get to her. Not today.

“They grow fast in this house,” she replied, thinking of just how quickly Marley had grown from a giggling child into an intelligent teenager. Part of her wanted to meet the twins, to see this other part of Greg’s life… but most of her wanted to stay as far away from them as physically possible.

“I’ve been okay,” she shrugged, pouring more wine into their glasses. “Just spending time with Marley, really… I’ve been reading a lot.” As time went on Sydney had been giving Marley more and more freedom, meaning Syd had a lot of time alone. She’d ventured back into the library, but even that grew stale after a while.

Greg nodded in agreement to Sydney’s remark about the children. To think about what happens in this house boggled the ghost’s mind. Just the simple fact that he was still around after being killed and eaten by a cannibal was a miracle in itself. It was just unfortunate that the same cannibal happened to be stuck in the house as well. 

Pushing those dark thoughts quickly from his mind as quickly as they had entered, Greg stood and began to rifle through the cabinets--looking for anything stronger than the wine. Finding a bottle with three-quarters left of bourbon left inside, the male smiled and returned to where they had been talking. 

“Did you find any new books or were they all the same?” Greg asked, attempting to sound interested in the idea of spending time constantly reading. Pouring the bourbon inside of his glass, he took a sip. 

[wxywordsoul]

sydneyreed-inthemurderhouse:

Sydney’s eyes moved down to the glass in her hand, contemplating the weight of Greg’s toast. When Sawyer had first killed her, she’d been naturally devastated but, even then, she wasn’t sure she’d ever fully realised what it meant to be dead in the Murder House. Not only could she never leave, but she couldn’t take Marley outside. She couldn’t take her on days out, or holidays, or any of the normal things that families did. Instead she’d condemned her to a life trapped in a house of murderers. 

“Another year of eternity,” she repeated, sipping the wine. She remained silent, fighting against the sudden onset of fear for Marley’s future safety. She was fairly certain that Sawyer would never hurt her daughter, but what of the others? There were so many dangerous people in the house, going mad with cabin fever and the urge to kill. It was something Syd worried about every single day. Trying to push against those thoughts she placed the wine glass down, clearing her throat. “So.. how’ve you been?”

The moment the words passed his lips, Greg felt sorry for them. The reminder of eternity should not have been what he would have toasted too. If anything, he should have just toasted to her and Marley. He always had to find a way to make things awkward as hell with Syd. Downing the drink in a swift gulp, his eyes squeezed shut as the fruity tasting alcohol. Wine was an acquired taste, for sure. 

“It’s been...eventful. The twins have gotten bigger. Victor has...a mind of his own, and Elodie..nevermind.” It was weird talking about the twins with the mother of his first daughter. His hand went up to scratch the back of his neck. It was hard to talk to Sydney about anything concerning Christine and his other two kids. It was hard to even think about having two more children that would be stuck in a house with this much notoriety. “How have you been?” he asked, biting his bottom lip. 

[wxywordsoul]

sydneyreed-inthemurderhouse:

“I like that logic,” Syd replied, her slight smile returning. For months she’d been avoiding Greg like a plague, but now that he was here she couldn’t help but sense all of her emotions and feelings coming back with full force. “Well, there’s no fun in drinking alone,” she shrugged, taking two glasses from a lower cabinet and pouring out some of the wine for each of them.

He had never really drank wine. Whenever he had gone to the bars, Greg had always chosen the hard liquor towards the higher shelves. Looking at the glass Sydney had poured for him, Greg’s eyebrows rose. “Hopefully this tastes as good as it looked in the bottle.” Smiling, he looked back to Syd. 

He hadn’t been able to relax in a while. Having twins was enough to make him want to pull his hair out, especially since they had grown into their own personalities. If he was having trouble with it, he figured Christine was having her own issues as well. A small pang of guilt went through him, and his smile faltered. He had wanted to celebrate with Marley, but he was doing so much more in this instance. 

Pushing the thoughts from his mind, Greg held up the cup to give Sydney a toast. “To another year of eternity.” 

[wxywordsoul]

sydneyreed-inthemurderhouse:

Sydney listened to Marley’s footsteps rushing towards the living room and remained silent, a small smile playing on her lips at the mere thought of how excited her daughter must look at that moment. She’d done her best to raise Marley right, and one thing that stood out was her gratitude for even the smallest of gifts. Of course, that was an easy quality to establish when you were tied to a house with very little means of getting items.

At the sound of Greg’s voice Sydney tried to resist the urge to look, but failed, her head raising just as he disappeared, and then reappeared, a bottle of wine clasped in his hand. For a moment she said nothing, staring at the bottle with an almost confused look. “I- uh…” She cleared her throat. “I didn’t think you’d remember.” She never made a fuss of her birthday, not least of all now that Marley’s followed. She reached out to take the bottle, her fingers brushing ever so slightly against Greg’s. “…thank you.”

Greg gave her a soft smile as he handed over the bottle of wine. He kept his face neutral as their fingers brushed, not wanting to betray the fact that he still cared for her as more than just a friend. “You’re welcome.” It didn’t come as a surprise to him that she didn’t expect anything for her birthday. She never really made a big fuss about it, and he didn’t blame her. Being dead for so long, he couldn’t remember the last time he had done anything for his birthday. “Even moms need to celebrate their birthdays too. And why not the adult way, with alcohol, y’know?”