InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "GROW UP N JUMP INTO THE OCEAN"

Joseph Van der Berg (cup_of_joey) wrote in nevermore_logs,
@ 2013-11-27 16:30:00

Current mood:	grateful
Entry tags:	jess van der berg, jesse delacroix, joseph van der berg, monique reppyi

WHO: Joey, JJ, Jesse and Nikkie
WHAT: Siblings :D
WHEN: Backdated to last Saturday
WHERE: Sleepy Hollow Homestead
WARNINGS: Language

Joey and Nikkie had had a wonderful first night in Sleepy Hollow and he had spent the morning showing her around. When they both wanted lunch, Joey led them back to the homestead and headed into the kitchen. "I can make something really nice and if you want, we can make a picnic or something? Eat it outside?"

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	likesachallenge 2013-11-27 05:15 am UTC (link)
	Sleepy Hollow was pretty and peaceful, and Nikkie loved it. The tour of the village had taken most of the morning, so the idea of a picnic sounded really good to her. "Sure," she answered, smiling. "I can't remember the last time I went on a picnic." (Reply to this) (Thread)

	cup_of_joey 2013-11-27 05:39 am UTC (link)
	"There's a really fancy picnic basket in the pantry if we want to take it with us." He went to stand beside her and then he wrapped his arms around her waist and leaned in to kiss her neck. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	likesachallenge 2013-11-27 06:35 am UTC (link)
	Nikkie sighed happily, resting her head on his shoulder. "You have the good plans," she agreed. "Let's enjoy the weather while it's still nice." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

cup_of_joey
2013-11-27 07:08 am UTC (link)

Joey grinned and he kissed her one more time before heading towards the pantry to grab the basket so he could fill it with delicious things. They would probably have to bundle up, but he just liked being outside when he wasn't in the city.

The ride from the city had been cold but beautiful. Jess was glad it had been a nice day so they weren't soaking wet when they arrived at the house. When they pulled up and parked, Jess jumped off the back of the bike and she glanced at the car in the driveway. "That's weird," she said with an arched eyebrow. "My family isn't supposed to be here, shit."

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	likesachallenge 2013-11-27 07:33 am UTC (link)
	Nikkie smiled and went to grab their coats from the front entryway. She hardly minded having to wrap up to be outside, but it was such a nice change from the crush of people everywhere. Jesse pulled off his helmet, glancing from the car to JJ. "Any chance it isn't someone you know?" he asked. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	insolentia_ 2013-11-27 07:39 am UTC (link)
	Jess shrugged her shoulders and then she pulled her helmet off to stow it on the bike. "I guess we'll find out, hmm? If it is my family and not the care taker, then just snog me or something. It should chase them off," she said with a wink. "Still want to go in?" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	jdelacroix 2013-11-27 07:51 am UTC (link)
	"Guess so," he agreed, then he grinned slightly. "That'll be such a hardship for me, I'm sure. But yeah, let's head in." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

insolentia_
2013-11-27 07:57 am UTC (link)

"Yeah, you'll really be taking one for the team there," she winked and then she shouldered her bag to carry inside.

Once she stepped through the door, she dropped her bag on the floor and headed towards the voices she could hear. It certainly didn't sound like the fifty-year-old caretaker, nor did it sound like her family. She could hear laughing. No one in her family laughed, surely, unless it was to some racist joke at a soiree. And even then it tended to be faked.

Jess motioned Jesse to follow her and she peered around the corner to find the last person in the world she ever expected to see making sandwiches.

"Holy shit-" Jess breathed, causing Joey to look up in alarm. "Oh holy shit."

Joey blinked, looked his baby sister up and down to take in the fact that she was clad almost entirely in leather, and then he blinked again. "Jessica?"

It really was her brother. The only one she gave a shit about. She had thought he was dead, but he was here in front of her, stilling holding a butter knife with mayo dripping off the end. "Josephine!" Jess hissed breathlessly, and then she laughed herself at her brother with such energy she knocked him off his feet, causing the butter knife to clatter across the kitchen. And there on the floor, she hugged him with a death grip. "Jesus fuck, I thought you were dead!"

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	jdelacroix 2013-11-27 08:17 am UTC (link)
	Jesse watched JJ launch herself into the kitchen, sticking head around the corner, slightly alarmed. He got there just in time to watch the two of them tumble to the floor, one eyebrow raised in surprise. "I'm gonna assume you're pleased to see them, yes?" he asked. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

insolentia_
2013-11-27 08:26 am UTC (link)

Joey cried out as his bony hip crashed into the kitchen floor at an unfortunate angle, but then his sister was planting a kiss on his cheek and all he could do was let her freak out happily until this could get sorted out.

Jess lifted herself up and straightened out her coat before saying, "Jesse, it's Joey! My brother! I thought he was- Jesus, Joey, I thought you were dead. You disappeared and our stupid father wouldn't even look for you. What happened?!"

The fact that there were two other people standing in the kitchen looking confused made Joey think introductions were important first. "Nikkie, this is my little sister, Jessica. Jess, this is Nikkie, she's my girlfriend."

"Hi," Jess said, offering Nikkie a hand to shake. "This is my friend Jesse."

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jdelacroix
2013-11-27 08:39 am UTC (link)

Nikkie came running in from the foyer when she heard the crash, taking in the tangle of limbs on the floor, the new guy in the leather jacket, and the air of excited confusion that seemed to permeate the room.

She'd opened her mouth to ask what was going on, but Joey beat her to the punch. She shook Jess's hand, managing to get her brain back into 'meeting new people mode'. "It's really nice to meet you," she said, shaking Jesse's hand next. "I haven't met any of Joey's family, and from the sounds of things, that's not a bad thing, but you both seem happy to see each other."

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insolentia_
2013-11-27 08:52 am UTC (link)

"Last I heard, he was missing and my family wouldn't help find him. So I fucking left because I couldn't deal with their shit any more. Mother still calls me sometimes and she never mentioned you were okay. Do they even know?" Jess asked Joey.

"Yeah, they know," he groaned. He went to stand beside Nikkie, feeling a little overwhelmed, not to mention slightly depressed that his family hadn't cared he was being tortured by the devil. Sure, they hadn't known, but he wished they had cared he was gone at all.

"Well fuck them. What the hell happened to you, Joey?" She jumped up onto the kitchen counter so she could sit on it, and she offered Jesse a smile so he wouldn't feel awkward. Hopefully.

"I uhm...it's- It's a long story," Joey stammered. "I was missing for three weeks. Held captive. It was horrible."

Jess felt herself tearing up and she wiped at her eyes. "Jesus, Joey. I imagined something horrible but all this time I hoped I was wrong."

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	likesachallenge 2013-11-27 09:06 am UTC (link)
	Nikkie found his hand, squeezing it gently. "I can't believe they never mentioned that to you, that's horrible," she said, shaking her head. Jesse leaned against the doorframe, smiling back at Jess but not saying much. There wasn't really much that he could add to this conversation, it seemed better to let the two of them talk. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

insolentia_
2013-11-27 09:12 am UTC (link)

"I can believe it," Jess hissed. "Bunch of assholes." She slid off the counter and went to stand in front of Joey.

"Did you get hurt, Joseph? Who took you? Are they in prison?"

Joey bit down on his lip and then he nodded. "I did, I- It's complicated. Hard to explain. I-I couldn't tell the police."

Jess blinked at that and then she glanced back at Jesse before turning to her brother again. "Hard to explain, like...you think if you say who took you I might think you're crazy? Because if that's why, I might not think you're as crazy as you assume I will."

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	likesachallenge 2013-11-27 09:33 am UTC (link)
	Jesse looked back at her and raised an eyebrow. This wasn't exactly how he thought a reunion between these two might play out, but life was weird, something he learned a long time ago. "This conversation is sounding remarkably like one I had a few weeks after I got to America," Nikkie added. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

insolentia_
2013-11-27 09:39 am UTC (link)

"You don't want to know how I found out," Jess shook her head. "Tell me, Joey."

"It was uhm- Okay seriously, you can't- I swear I'm telling the truth. It was Lucifer. The devil."

Jess froze, her eyes wide open for an instant before she shook her head. "Holy fuck." Clearly she believed him, and was horrified by the very idea. "That's- Joey..." Then she burst into tears, which was quite out of character for her.

"I'm alright now," Joey tried to reassure her as he stepped forward to hug her tightly. "He got bored of me."

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jdelacroix
2013-11-27 10:23 am UTC (link)

Jesse's eyebrows were now pretty close to getting stuck in a permanently raised position. "And now I've fallen down the rabbit hole for real," he muttered.

"I'd tell you it gets easier to process...but I'd be lying," Nikkie told him. "Joey, on the other hand, he's not, and he isn't crazy. There are things out there in the dark, and they love nothing more than fucking with humans until they break. Or until they got bored."

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cup_of_joey
2013-11-27 10:29 am UTC (link)

"Pretty much," Joey said sadly in Jesse's direction. "But I'm also proof we can survive it. It's okay, Jessica. I'm here now." He held her tightly and let her cry into his chest.

When she finished sobbing, JJ pulled away from Joey's arms to look him all over. "You're really thin," she said appraisingly.

"I'm always like this," he was quick to assure her. He had gained back the weight he had lost while with Lucifer and while he was still skinny, he no longer looked skeletal under his clothes and his joints didn't look enormous any more. He was glad for that. "And so do you, by the way. Did you say you left home?" Worry immediately showed on his face. He knew what had happened to him when he left home and he hated the idea of it happening to Jess.

"Yes, but I moved into a friend's house instead of running away. When I saved up enough money, I got a place of my own."

"I always knew you were smarter than I was," Joey said with a smile. "So are you her boyfriend then?" he asked Jesse, finally going to shake the poor young man's hand.

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	jdelacroix 2013-11-27 10:48 am UTC (link)
	Jesse just shoved his hands into his pockets, feeling really out of his depth. "It is good you made it through everything," he said after a moment, for lack of anything else to say. He shook Joey's hand. "Naw, not anymore," he replied. "We're friends, and we work together. She's good people to have in my life, though." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

cup_of_joey
2013-11-27 11:08 am UTC (link)

"Oh you work together!" Joey said with a smile. "Where's that?"

JJ bit her lip then and she shook her head at her brother. "Just- Just a job," she said, a little lamely. "It doesn't matter. What matters is you're alive and here. Any chance you'll let me get away with that?"

Joey arched his eyebrows and he glanced back and forth between the two of them. "Any chance I should let you get away with it?"

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	jdelacroix 2013-11-27 11:18 am UTC (link)
	Jesse glanced at JJ. "An argument could be made both for and against letting it go, but since every time I open my mouth, I just seem to step in it, I'm gonna shut up." Nikkie snorted quietly, hiding her grin in her hair. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

insolentia_
2013-11-27 11:17 pm UTC (link)

Jess chuckled and she moved to kiss Jesse's hair. "You didn't step in anything. You wouldn't approve, Joey, but I like what I do and I'm safe about it. Okay?"

"Warily okay," Joey finally accepted. "I can't believe you left them. I was so worried you would grow up just like them with their brain washing and racism."

"Nope," Jess grinned brightly, now able to at least calm down because her brother seemed okay. "I took after my gawky and awesome older brother."

Joey flushed a deep red and he waved his hands around. "Oh stop."

"Seriously. Ask Jesse, I talk about you a lot. I mean...I talked about you like you were dead a lot, but you know...it was still complimentary!"

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	jdelacroix 2013-11-28 01:25 am UTC (link)
	"Mmm, if you say so," he said, smiling slightly. "She does," he agreed. "Nice things, stuff y'all did as kids, that kind of thing. In past tense, sure, but like she said. Still good things." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

cup_of_joey
2013-11-29 06:20 am UTC (link)

"Oh god, she was the only sane one," Joey said with a shake of his head. "So you just came up here to get away?"

"Yeah, what are the fucking chances, right?" Jess said, moving to hug him yet again. "God damn I am so glad you're here and alive and not devil killed."

"I was devil crucified just a little bit, but you know...time heals," Joey said dryly, his arms around his little sister.

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	jdelacroix 2013-11-30 08:17 am UTC (link)
	"Getting out of the city seemed to be the best idea," Jesse agreed. "Just go somewhere that didn't have so many fucking people around." That made him raise his eyebrows again. "I still can't believe the devil is actually a thing, it just sounds so crazy." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	cup_of_joey 2013-11-30 08:23 am UTC (link)
	"Well there's plenty of room," Joey said easily. "We were making lunch. I'll make a bit more," and he set about making more sandwiches. "Yeah, Lucifer and Satan. And Satan can make his face look different. He wasn't as bad as Lucifer though." He waved a mayonnaise-y knife around. "We shouldn't talk about it, it's not nice." (Reply to this) (Parent)