I built my life around you Who: Bradley and Eva Krasner Where: Their cottage When: Dinnertime
Any good earth elemental was a worrier by nature, and Eva was no exception. Like she’d told Oz, she’d been wanting to call her siblings in Florida, just to make sure they were okay, but she hadn’t. Couldn’t. Bridget would only hang up the moment she knew who was calling. Maybe Oz was right, and she just needed to try from a different phone number. Or maybe she needed someone else to make the call for her, but it wouldn’t be the same. It wasn’t a crime to check up on the little ones, what with demons and god only knew what else about. She’d seen them for herself, and she knew what kind of damage they could do. She wouldn’t wish that upon anyone.
Her cast felt heavier today than it had in previous ones, but that was only because she was thinking about it, how she’d been hurt last time. That wasn’t going to happen again because until she knew everything was safe, Eva wasn’t leaving the house. Everything she needed was here - Olivia, the garden, good movies, and above all, her dad. Bradley was in the kitchen and though she knew she didn’t have to move, Eva got up and went to join him. There was a lot they had to talk about, including the baby Dagmar had mentioned. Eva was just curious about what was going on with him and Linnea, if it was true. If so, she wanted to offer her congratulations, because after all, it wasn’t like it was the first time she learned she’d be a big sister again.
“Hey Dad,” she said, softly, not wanting to disturb him. “How goes the cooking?”
Bradley wasn’t too surprised when he heard the demons came again. Everything came in threes, right? Of course he was going to be worried about his daughter, willing to change the landscape around the house if needed to make sure no demon could reach them. He was grateful to have top notch blessings and wards placed on the cottage, thanks to the Williamson family, but it didn’t mean the earth elemental would stop worrying. What got to him most was that Linnea was out of the country and he couldn’t do anything to protect her. What if something happened to her? Or the baby?
He just let out a soft sigh and tried to distract himself with cooking dinner. A little comfort food for the evening that included baked macaroni and cheese with fresh veggies on the side. He was in the process of shooing Bean away from the celery he had cut up when Eva came into the room. No matter how many times he told her to sit down and relaxed, she was always up and about trying to do something. That’s because she’s stubborn like you! Bean spoke just to his master, twitching his nose at the celery again. To that, Bradley just chuckled and scooped the bunny up while replying mentally, I’m starting to think she takes after you than myself, if that’s possible.
“Goes well. A few more minutes in the oven and it should be set. And if this little guy will leave me be-” HEY! “-then maybe we’ll have vegetables for dinner.” Bean looked like he was ready to take up that challenge, but Bradley simply kept a good hold on his familiar. “How are you doing this evening?” Naturally, Bradley was going to worry about his daughter, especially with her leg and the reminder of demons. She had nothing to worry about. She was here and that meant she was safe. Bradley would see to that.
It was hard to keep a sad face when Bean was around. Seriously, he was too adorable for words, even when he was trying to eat their dinner out from underneath them. Eva smiled and gave the bunny a little wave, knowing better than to try and carry Bean and her crutches at the same time. “Dinner smells good, and I know it will taste better,” she said. Though she didn’t feel much like eating, she would, because she knew Bradley would only worry more if she didn’t. That, and her dad made such good stuff that it was a shame to let any of it go to waste.
She shrugged, something she was glad to do now that her ribs didn’t hurt quite as much when she did. “I’m,” the word came out with a little chuckle attached, “I’m worried. Trying not to think about things so much.” Easier said than done, especially today.
Always easier said than done, Bradley knew that. He walked over to the table nearby and pulled out a chair for his daughter before leaning against the wall. “It’s not easy, I know.” He meant that in regards to worrying in general. They were earth elementals and there was nothing they could do about it. Now, what exactly she was worrying about on the other hand... that he didn’t know. “You know... if you need to talk at all, I’m here for you. Not going to hold a judgemental eye to you, Eva.” He smiled in her direction, hoping she woudln’t hold much from him. Yes, she was an adult and didn’t need daddy prying into all the details of her life, but he was there for her, just like how he had always been there for Linnea and the Williamson kids. He wasn’t called Uncle Brad for nothing now. That and Bean was giving Eva a concerned look and it was hard to deny that bunny anything these days.
She smiled her thanks as she took a seat, glad to be off her feet. It wasn’t like she couldn’t get around if she wanted to, sitting was always easier for her right now. Between the way Bradley was looking at her and the concerned vibes she was getting from Bean, of all people, it was hard to stay quiet. Eva trusted Bradley miles more than she’d ever trusted her mother, and she knew her dad wouldn’t let anything happen to her, or blow up for saying the “wrong” thing. All Eva wanted to know was if Dagmar had been telling the truth. “I ran into one of Linnea’s daughters, Dagmar,” she said, “while I was out getting coffee. She’d mentioned something about you and Linnea and I’ll be honest, I couldn’t tell if she was just trying to get a rise out of me or what.” She shook her head a little. She didn’t understand Dagmar, and that was a shame, because Eva wanted to. Playing headgames like that just wasn’t her style.
All she had to say was “Dagmar” and that was all it took to make Bradley go up a wall. It wasn’t that he didn’t like the girl... just that he didn’t understood her need to make his life miserable. Holy crap, did she honestly like Jokull that much better. He was making Linnea happy and- oh right, back on topic. He just knew what that something was and Bradley simply swallowed to push down those fears of his. He wanted to tell Eva about Linnea being pregnant with his child. Or at least they assumed it was his. 85% sure, anyways. For some reason, he simply couldn’t get the timing down. Now he was worried about how Eva would react. Would she be happy? Be disgusted? Bradley didn’t know, so he decided to busy himself with fetching the food that just buzzed off and divvy out the food onto their plates. Thankfully for Eva, he could multi-task easily when it came to food. “Did you now?” He didn’t even feign surprise. More worry in his voice than anything. “How did that go?” He placed Eva’s plate before her along with a glass of iced tea before joining her at the table.
Just from the way Bradley was speaking, Eva could tell her dad wasn’t quite sold on Dagmar. Quite frankly, neither was she, but that was only because she couldn’t figure the girl out. She knew the water elemental was trying to get a rise out of her, and was disappointed to learn that it was a task easier said than done. The only person known to trigger Eva’s temper was Bridget. “Interesting, to say the least,” she said. “She’d mentioned Linnea’s pregnant and I don’t think she liked the fact that I told her to pass along my congratulations.” Eva looked down at her hands for a second before glancing back up at her father. “She said the baby might be yours. I couldn’t tell if she was lying or not.” There was no accusation in Eva’s voice, only curiosity. If her dad was going to have another child, good for him! It wasn’t like she lived in some sort of bubble, thinking that her dad was only her dad. She outgrew that mentality by the time her first half-sibling was born.
And there was the part about the child. It was going to come up eventually; Bradley simply wished it didn’t happen this way. Looking over to Eva, he couldn’t read her emotions, but he knew honesty was the key here. At least he would be calm in his delivery. Only a few people ever saw Bradley pissed and they all agreed it wasn’t a pleasant thing. “It’s true,” he nodded to his daughter after taking a sip of his drink. “The pregnant part that is.” Bean was giving him the hairy eyeball look before he went on. “...and we think the child is mine. Not a hundred percent sure yet, but... the odds definitely seem to be tipping that way.” Regardless, Bradley was going to treat the kid like his own and help Linnea every step of the way. “I’m sorry you had to hear that from Dagmar. She’s... not very keen on her mother and I being more than just friends now.” Hopefully Eva would take all this information way better than Dagmar ever would.
Regardless of how she found out, she just wanted to hear the truth straight from Bradley. Eva had the feeling Dagmar might tell her whatever she could just to get a rise out of her, and Eva knew better than to play that game. Please, she’d cut her teeth in dealing with bitchdom by living with her mother for as long as she did. So, she sat back and listened to what Bradley had to say, nothing but calm written on her face. She’d already been prepared for this, so it wasn’t like it was a surprise. She leaned over as best she could so she could squeeze her dad’s hand. “Then congratulations,” she said, smiling. “I’ll admit, I was surprised you didn’t have another child besides me, when I came up here. You don’t count,” she said to Bean, in case the bunny got any ideas, “since you’re a familiar. As for Dagmar, she didn’t seem too happy about it, no. At least, not when I’d talked to her.”
Bradley didn’t expect Eva to be congratulating her. Shit, she was actually the first person to do that. Then again, he didn’t exactly spread the news either. It would get around the Nest somehow and then everyone in the kitchen would be hounding him for answers. Something like that. “Really?” He was amused at the fact his own daughters expected him to be popping out kids while she was gone. Frankly, it wasn’t Bradley’s style. “Well... I guess I just hadn’t found the right woman for that fast enough.” He was an earth elemental and preferred to go slow, where as so many women his age didn’t have the time of day to wait. Thankfully his love for Linnea took time to blossom and now was in full bloom. “Besides, I had you to take care of.” Eva might have not been there physically, but Bradley wrote letters on a weekly basis and was constantly sending gifts and money, even if it meant Bridget hid most of them from his daughter. “And for Dagmar... I don’t think she’s very fond of me to begin with. Doesn’t wish for anyone to go near her mother or something.” Meanwhile, Bean was pouting over the idea he didn’t count as being an addition to the family, looking up at Eva with sad bunny eyes. I’m not loved anymore... “Yes you are, Bean...” Seriously, it felt like dealing with a kid, so might as well count for something.
Bradley was lucky that Eva wasn’t the jealous type - never had been, and never would be. Her dad deserved to be happy and if Linnea made him so, then she’d be happy for them. It really was as simple as that. “You forget, I knew so little about you when I got here,” she said. “Mom didn’t let me have any of your letters - in fact, she’d thrown them out after I found them. I just knew where you were, and where you worked.” Coming to Michigan on that little information had been a huge leap of faith, but the way Eva saw it, it wasn’t like she had much of a choice. “And Mom had a bunch of kids after me and it just made sense that you might have, too.” She shrugged. Knowing he wanted to take care of her and couldn’t was hard, but they were together now. She wasn’t going to worry about the past because it was done with, she wasn’t with Bridget anymore, and Bradley loved her. “I got that sense, yes,” she said, shaking her head. “Which I don’t quite understand, but maybe it’s a jealousy thing.” Something Eva had been very lucky not to get, all things considered. She reached over to Bean, petting him behind the ears. “Familiars are different,” she reminded the bunny. “You’re not like a child,” okay, so he acted like it, but he was not in actuality, “but you are always family. You and Olivia both.”
He did forget. No matter how much he tried to reach out to Eva, Bridget just shut him down. He never knew how Eva was doing, what she did with school, what her interests were, nothing. All he knew was that Bridget needed money to raise her daughter. And it didn’t surprise Bradley that Bridget went off and had her own kids. She always talked about how much she wanted a big family. Bradley was all for that, but that obviously didn’t get far. Though now Eva was here and that was all that mattered. “I just didn’t want you to feel like I was replacing you or anything with a new kid. You mean as much to me as my job does. Probably more.” And cooking was a serious as the business got with Bradley. “I think Dagmar thinks she’s being replaced... somehow. I’m not sure.” Bradley wasn’t a psychologist and didn’t plan on being one any time soon. After a few bites of his food, he leaned down to scoop up Bean so the bunny could join them on the table. Yes, the familiars were on par with family. Bradley wouldn’t have had it any other way.
Of the many parenting mistakes Bridget had made, keeping Eva in the dark about Bradley, and vice versa, was the biggest one. It triggered so many fights between the two of them that it had been better not to mention his name when Eva was growing up, because even her patience ran out after a while. “I don’t feel like that at all,” she said, because maybe Bradley needed to be reminded of that. “Things change, people move on, and if you and Linnea are happy? Then that’s all I care about. And besides,” a little smile came to her face, “I know a good bit about babies and all that, and my leg will be better by then, so you’ll have someone else around to help.” Because somehow she got the feeling that Dagmar wouldn’t. Maybe Linnea’s other children would feel differently, but Eva had never met them to know. Finally remembering that there was food ready - good food, because Bradley had made it - Eva grabbed a fork and started to dig in.
The idea of dumping such responsibilities like that onto Eva made Bradley feel a twinge of anxiety in his chest. He had to remind himself that he wasn’t pulling a Bridget, so to speak, and in fact his daughter wanted to help. That... was different. She truly was mature for her age. Kind of like yourself back then. “We are happy,” Bradley pointed out. He hadn’t seen Linnea smile this much in all the time he had known her. Being freed from Jokull’s marriage was one positive, for sure, but now that they could have each other? Even better. “And if you are more than welcomed to help out if you’d like. No pressure, of course.” He meant that, too. She was his daughter, not his slave. Just as long as she was happy, then so was he. Speaking of which... “And what about you? High spirits as well?” Aside from the whole thing with her half-siblings, that was. He hoped Eva was settling into Scarlet Oak well. You know, making friends, possibly finding a part-time job, or even a guy that she was interested in- Oh good god. Godspeed to any young male that wanted to pursue Eva; just because Bradley was an earth elemental and had patience didn’t mean he couldn’t be a hard ass. He so would.
Eva would let Bradley know if he was pulling a Bridget. She’d offered to help and in truth, she was happier when she had someone to take care of, still adjusting to the fact that her siblings weren’t here like they’d been in Florida. Like hell Bridget was properly caring for her children, and with Eva around at least the kids had something that resembled stability. She beamed at him, “Then I’m glad. And trust me, I’ll be here for whatever you need.” Meaning: She wasn’t going back to Florida any time soon. She’d just found her dad; she wasn’t going to leave him behind so quickly. At her dad’s question, her smile turned a little bit shy, evidence that there was a teenage girl inside her somewhere, just waiting to get out. “Very much so,” she said. “I’m making a few friends here - Locke, he came over for movies the other day, remember? And Oz. Especially Oz.” She took a few bites of food, “He’s a sweetheart, really. Tries to act like he isn’t, but I think I’m starting to be able to tell the difference.”
Sometimes that worrying paid off, because there were those moments that he was right. Eva had gone of mentioning boys and he knew that just because she was friends with a guy didn’t mean that there would be chemistry there, but... this was his baby girl, god damnit! Bradley wasn’t the type to sit on the front porch with a shotgun, though push his buttons enough or do something stupid like make his daughter cry and he would explode. “That’s great,” Bradley replied with a smile, even if his mind was racing. He’d get over himself eventually. “I’m glad you have people to hang out with. You know they’re more than welcomed to come over.” The first kid, Locke, didn’t seem so bad. According to Bean, they did just watch movies. Hell, he sounded like he was as mature as Eva. He approved of that. And after a delayed reaction, Bradley made a face and looked on back to Eva. “Oz... as in Oz Snow?” He only knew the family because they had been close to Linnea and they had helped their home from the recent flood. Didn’t hurt to ask.
Eva might be Bradley’s baby girl, yes, but she wasn’t exactly a child anymore, and she had a good enough head on her shoulders to know if a boy was good or bad for her. Right now, she and Oz were just having fun together, and there was absolutely nothing wrong with enjoying the boy’s company. She had to make friends here in Scarlet Oak sometime, right? It was hard to read Bradley’s emotions, but that could have been because she didn’t know her dad as well as she might like, not yet. They were both working on that. “As in Oz Snow,” she confirmed. “I went over his house the other day, hung out with him and his siblings.” Did his dad know that the Snows were weres? She didn’t think her dad would mind that, but she couldn’t say for sure. “He knew your name, when I told him who my dad was. Do you know his family well?”
Bradley was the last person to be judgemental in regards to what someone was. He had to deal with his adoptive parents growing up along with Bridget for who knew how long. And there was the Williamson family, where all the boys were weres, so of course it didn’t bother Bradley. Though the Snows weren’t exactly angelic blood, so it wasn’t like he was going to trust his daughter to someone like Oz in comparison to Isaiah. Shit, this was probably the only time he was happy Jace skipped town. “A bit, yes,” Bradley responded after swallowing a mouthful of food. “Their house was flooded after the bout of rain we had, so Linnea and I went to secure that their house wasn’t completely lost. She housed them at her place for a while. They’re nice people. Own a sweets shop in town, too.” Bradley couldn’t forget people who had a passion for cooking or baking, even if he had never tried any of their goods. “I take it I’ll be seeing more of this Oz in the future?” Bradley didn’t mean any harm with the question. More curious than anything. He had to be ready for this sort of thing. Bullshit, you want the kid dead, Bean snorted in Bradley’s mind. Shut up. No comments from the peanut gallery.
She was still getting to know Oz and his family, this was true, but she hadn’t seen anything so far that would give her pause. Eva wasn’t the kind of girl who would just jump into something on a whim; she was earth, and she had the patience that went with it. So long as she and Oz were enjoying each other’s company, she felt that all was well in that respect. Plus, they had an earth elemental in their family too, so there was another connection there that Eva felt good about. “That’s where I met Oz, at the bakery,” she said. “I stopped in a while ago, trying to learn the town and all, and he was working at the time.” She should have sounded like a teenage girl babbling about the guy of her dreams, but Eva was really rather straightforward about it all. Happy, but not overdoing it, composed for the 19-year-old she was supposed to be. “And I hope so. I’d like to see where things go.” Eva paused for a second, looking up at Bradley. “Would that be all right?” She’d never even considered the idea that maybe her dad didn’t want her dating after all.
Hearing Eva talk about Oz just like that was far better than hearing a typical teenager babbling on about prince charming. He could only reason with someone that idealistic for so long before it wore him thing. Bradley was thankful that Eva was far more realistic than most girls her age. The last thing he expected his daughter to do was ask him if all of this was ok. He nearly choked on his food at that, not because he wasn’t ok with her dating or seeing boys or what not, but more along the lines that it shocked him to know she even bothered to ask. “Of course it’s fine,” he spoke up after a gulp of his drink. “You don’t need to ask me for permission to go out and have some fun and meet people. I trust you to be safe and be smart about guys, but that doesn’t mean your old man is going to worry.” Bradley pointed a finger at Eva, half-jokingly and half-serious. “But if he or anyone boy does so much as make my daughter cry, I will make him sorry.” He let her take that in while he took a few more bites of food. “I hope you two enjoy yourselves, though. Honestly.” Bradley even smiled to cement that feeling.
It wasn’t that Eva wasn’t idealistic, or that she didn’t believe in true love, she did. She did believe, however, that it didn’t just happen overnight, it was something to be worked for, cultivated. Who knew where things with Oz would lead? She didn’t want to jump to conclusions or get ahead of herself, she wasn’t that kind of girl. Bradley’s reaction had her watching him - had her question been that unexpected? Well, perhaps. Bradley wasn’t used to having her around and she wasn’t used to worrying what her father thought about her. “I don’t mean to worry you, I hope you know that,” she reminded him softly. “I trust Oz, and if I didn’t I wouldn’t be spending time with him. Does that make sense?” She smiled as he pointed his finger at her, “I will tell him that my father will swallow him in an earthquake, will that satisfy you?” Eva meant it as a joke, but still, it was nice to know he cared. Definitely a change from the way her mother had treated her, that was for damn sure.
Eva could have been breathing and nothing else and Bradley would be worrying. He doubted either of them were going to shake that habit no matter how hard they tried. At least he trusted his daughter’s judgement. Far better than someone like Jace. Regardless, he wasn’t going to put restrictions on his daughter just because he was going to worry. It definitely didn’t stop him when he was younger, so why was it going to stop her? “If you think he’s good enough, then I won’t doubt your judgement.” Though the additional comment about the earthquake did earn Eva a little chuckle from her father. All he had to say to that was, “At least he’ll know what he’s getting himself into.” Bradley was happy they could talk about whatever they wanted with such freedom and calmness. Any other teen could have been screaming at him for existing. Once again, Bradley was thankful for not only having his daughter back in his life, but having her be a fine, young lady. He couldn’t ask for anything more.