Untitled (See A/N inside!)

Landon was sprawled out on the hardwood floor of the attic, his hands behind his head, listening to the sky outside rumble and mutter. The storm had passed, but he could still hear the thunder. It was a comforting sound. The attic was a maze of boxes and old furniture, save for the space in the back that had been cleared out for Landon to live in. He didn’t have a bed when he moved in, but his oldest niece, Abby, had actually spent an entire weekend sewing him a canvas hammock that was more comfortable than any mattress he’d ever slept on. It was slung between two rafters near the only window in the attic, and piled into it was his pillow and two handmade afghans he‘d gotten from his mother last Christmas. There was an old steamer trunk he used as a night stand, with a stained glass lamp, an ash tray, and an alarm clock on it. It was filled with photographs all of the places he’d been. There was a long, low dresser that had once been his grandmother’s that he kept his clothes in, and on top of that were his stacks of books. Landon didn’t own anything else.

Landon sat up slowly, his back cracking audibly, and then stood. He walked to the window, pulling his ill fitting blue jeans up his hips a little, and studied the quiet street outside. Everything was still, the harsh orange glow from the street lamp across the street reflecting off the puddles and car windshields. He pressed his forehead against the painfully cold glass and closed his eyes.

Landon was the spitting image of his mother in many respects. The same shade of hair caught somewhere between ginger blond and copper red, depending on what light he was in. He wore it without thinking about style, and hadn’t cut it in almost a year. The same soft, elfin features, although he was sharper than her, with a heavier jaw. Attractive, in a sense, but he‘d always been called pretty instead of handsome. The same dark brown eyes. The same light dust of freckles across his cheeks. The same slender, narrow hipped build.

He opened his eyes, catching his reflection in the window, and scowled at it.

“Uncle Lannie?”

He flinched at the tiny voice behind him and turned. “Ellie.” he said quietly, offering his youngest niece a smile. It always startled him how quiet the girl was. He hadn‘t heard her come up the stairs, despite how creaky they were. “What are you doing awake? It’s late, honey.”

“I couldn’t sleep.” she said quietly, her huge pale gray eyes staring at him. In the six year old’s left hand she clutched the paw of a coffee colored stuffed bear. It was big enough to drag on the hardwood as she took a step towards him. Her tiny bare feet rocked back a little, and she reached her free hand up to push her heavily fringed black bangs back before asking, “Can me and Bump sleep with you?”

He nodded his head, and she smiled softly at him. He set his alarm clock and then got into the hammock. She padded over, handed him the bear, and then climbed in beside him. The hammock allowed for little room, so she simply curled against his chest, using Bump’s leg as a pillow against the sharpness of his collarbone. He pulled the afghans over them and kissed the top of her head.

“Lannie?” she breathed into the dark some time later. He thought she’d been asleep.

“Hmm?” he had his eyes closed and one arm curled around her, his hand on her shoulder.

“When’s Momma coming home?”

He sighed softly. “Eleanor, we talked about this, didn’t we?”

“Yes.” she made a very small sniffling noise, and he knew that if he could’ve seen her face, he would see those silvery eyes glisten with unshed tears. She still hadn’t actually cried about her mother. She was a tough little girl. “Momma isn’t coming home.”

“No.” Lannie said softly. “I’m sorry, sweetie.”

She was quiet for a moment. “You’ll stay, won’t you? And Daddy?”

“Daddy would never leave.” he told her, brushing his fingers along her arm in an attempt to comfort her. “I might not always live with you, though.”

She made a very tiny sound in her throat and burrowed closer. “I want you to live with us forever.” she told him, her voice muffled by his chest. ‘Why does everyone want to leave?”

He sighed. “I don’t want to leave. I’m not talking about leaving. I’m just saying-”

“Stop saying it.” she said forcefully. She lifted her head and looked at him in the dark. “Hannah says that sometimes people lie to make someone feel better. Do that.”

He nodded and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “I’ll be here.” he said, and she waited. “Forever. I’ll never leave, Ellie.”

She kissed his jaw and then curled against his chest again. “I love you, Lannie.” she whispered, one hand clutching the fabric of his shirt tightly.

“I love you too, dearest.”

He laid awake in the dark long after she’d fallen asleep.
***************************************************************

The next morning, Landon’s brother-in-law, Dean, left for work early, so Landon got the girls ready for school. Abby, sixteen, came downstairs in a flutter of gingery blond hair, kissed Landon on the cheek, and darted out of the house, her pale brown gauzy skirt swirling behind her. Hannah, twelve and darker than Abby but not as dark as Ellie, sat at the kitchen table, her face hidden behind her science book. Landon made her and Ellie breakfast, then drove them to school. Hannah kissed the same cheek that Abby had, then hurried into the school building. Landon dropped Ellie off last. He parked in the lot and walked her to her classroom, like he always did when he drove her. She held his hand tightly, her other hand wrapped tightly around the tail of her braid.

“Have a good day, dearest.” he told her, bending down to let her hug him. She left him in the hall, but before he could leave her teacher stepped into the hall. “Mr. Crowe?” he said, and Landon nodded his head. “I’ve been meaning to speak with you, do you have a moment?”

“Sure, Mister…” Landon struggled for Ellie’s teacher’s name, but couldn’t place it. The teacher smiled warmly at him.

“Strong.” he said, and Landon almost face palmed. “Just Bryce is fine, though.”

“Sorry.” Landon said with a small shrug. “I’m bad with names.”

The teacher shrugged one broad shoulder, still smiling. His bright blond hair was oddly alternative for an elementary teacher’s style. It stuck up in messy spikes and loops around his sharp, aristocratic face. Landon wondered how old he was. “I wanted to address something with you, in hopes that you might shed some light on what might be going on with Eleanor.”

Landon nodded his had. “She’s having problems with her mother.” he said and Bryce nodded in return. “We’re doing our best, Dean and me.”

‘Yes.” Bryce said absently. “About that. I worry that perhaps Eleanor is holding some sort of grudge against her father. She’s started to call him by his first name, and when parental situations are brought up in class, you are the person she talks about.”

Landon sighed and shoved a hand through his hair. He caught the slight softening of the teacher’s bright blue eyes and arched an eyebrow at him. Bryce looked away, down the hall absently, and Landon let the look slide. “She’ll adjust.” he said finally. “She’ll forgive him, eventually. Right now she wants me, so that’s what I’m trying to give her.”

Bryce nodded his head. “I’m not suggesting that the situation is unhealthy. I’m just voicing a concern. I’m very fond of Eleanor. She’s a wonderful child.”

“I know it.” Landon agreed. ‘Thank you for your concern. I appreciate you speaking with me about this.”

“Just keep me updated, so I can do the best I can with her here.” Bryce offered his hand, and Landon shook it. Bryce’s palm was smooth and dry against his own, and oddly, the teacher slid his fingers around Landon’s wrist, a peculiarly possessive gesture that made Landon instantly nervous. Bryce flashed him another reassuring smile, dropped his hand, and disappeared back into the classroom.

Landon stood there for a moment, a little taken aback. He shook his head to clear it, then hurried out to his car. He was fastening his seat belt when his cell phone chirped. He fished the thing out of his pocket, saw Dean’s number, and flipped it open. “Hello?”

“Hey, Lan.” Dean said, sounding tired of a little irritated. “Are you still out?”

“Yea, I was going to go to the grocery store before I-”

“Hannah got suspended.”

Landon sighed and pressed his forehead against the steering wheel. “That was quick.” he muttered.

“No shit.” Dean quipped. “Apparently some girl said something to the affect of ‘your mother is a whore‘, and Hannah punched her.”

“Well, if the fucking shoe fits…” Landon grumbled, and heard Dean’s sharp intake of breath. “Oh come on, Dean, you know as well as I do-”

“I know.” Dean cut in, sounding like he was gritting his teeth together. “Can you just go get her?”

“Sure.”

“Thank you.” Dean paused for a moment, then asked, “Did Eleanor sleep upstairs with you again?”

“Yea.” Landon told him. “She said she couldn’t sleep.”

Dean sighed. “Okay. I just… I looked in on her and she wasn’t in bed. You know, if it bothers you-”

“It doesn’t.” Landon assured his brother-in-law. “I love those girls, Dean, you know that.”

“I know.” Dean said quietly. “I really appreciate everything you‘ve done for me and my girls. I’m really glad you came to live with us, Lan.”

“Life’s funny that way, isn’t it?” he said, and Dean made a questioning humming sound. “When I moved in, I mean. What did you say to Maddy?”

Dean laughed, a little uncomfortably. “I don’t want your freeloading, homosexual vagrant of a little brother under my roof.” he repeated the old insult in a carefully joking tone.

“And now you’d be lost without me.” Landon half teased. They both knew the statement was far truer than either of them would admit out loud. “I’ll see you when you get home, Dean.”

“Bye.”

Landon hung the phone up. For a moment he just sat there, glaring at the dashboard, his hands in his lap. Life really was funny, in a sick, practical joke sort of way. Maddy had always been the reliable one, the strong one. How many times had she cleaned up after Landon over the years? In school, all the fights, all the issues he’d had, and she’s always been there, always been the one to pick him up when he fell. Even after he’d dropped out of college and fled across the country, no destination, no plans… when it was over and he’d come limping home, she’d taken him in. And now here he was, twenty seven and playing nanny and housekeeper for his sister’s husband, because she’d decided to say fuck it to her marriage, to her children and her job and her home, and run off with some guy she’d dated back in high school.

Oh yes, life was very funny. Karma certainly caught up with him. And he would’ve been fine with it, if he wasn’t surrounded all day, every day, by the people his sister had destroyed. Dean was playing the strong, unaffected male, attempting to keep life as normal as he could. It was sad and pathetic. Abby was throwing herself into every single extracurricular she could. Better, but sort of uncomfortable to watch. Eleanor was shutting down, turning away from the parent she had left and attaching to Landon. This was heartbreaking, plain and simple. And Hannah, well… this was Hannah’s second suspension since Maddy had left, the other for fighting as well.

He started the car, feeling miserable and tired, and drove back to the middle school. He collected Hannah from the office, listened to her vice principal lecture him about the important of discipline and structure, and then herded her into the car. Half of the drive home was silent. Finally, he cleared his throat and said her name.

“I don’t want to talk about it.” she said automatically, glowering out the window with her arms folded over her chest. Her short cropped hair, a glossy dark auburn, hung in her eyes, but he could see the set of her jaw, the way she kept digging her fingers into the skin of her forearms.

“That guy told me you might’ve given her a good enough punch to need some stitches.” he said quietly.

“Good.”

He sighed. “Hannah, you can’t keep doing this.”

“You’re not my father.” she snapped at him.

“No, I’m not. But I’m still your family.”

She snorted. “Yea, because that means something?” she asked him scathingly, and he shook his head and let it go.

“We have to go to the grocery store before we go home.” he told her.

“Whatever.”

He grit his teeth together and fought down the urge to smack her upside the head.

He did the shopping quickly, Hannah tagging along behind him, her head lowered, her feet shuffling. At home, she surprised him by helping him put everything away. When they were finished, he made her a sandwich and they sat at the island counter together. She ate in silence, listening as Landon gave her a list of chores. When she was finished with her sandwich, he watched her rinse her dishes and then head out the back door to start the outdoor things he’d asked of her. When the door shut, he sighed heavily and put his face in his hands.

“I never wanted kids.” he told the empty room. “And may I remind the powers that be of my sexual preference? I dislike girls that much. So thanks a lot for this. Really.” he snorted and got up, his mind slipping into work mode, listing all the things he wanted to get done around the house. He vacuumed both upstairs and down, scrubbed the counters in the kitchen, the tubs in both bathrooms, then headed out onto the back porch to call Hannah in. She’d finished mowing the back lawn, Lannie’s car was bright and glistening in the side driveway, and the day lilies Dean had wanted removed were gone. She was perched on a ladder, changing the light bulbs in the fixtures on either side of the garage door. She finished up and then came in to help him wash the windows.

“Lannie?” she stopped halfway through wiping Windex off of the glass in her father’s study. Landon looked up from his own window. They’d already finished the living room, den and kitchen. That left this room and upstairs. She bit her lip, her fingers flexing on the damp and crumpled newspaper in her hand. “I’m sorry.” she mumbled. “I was mean to you earlier. I shouldn’t have said what I did.”

He nodded at her, and she offered him a little smile. “Come here, kiddo.” he said, and she walked over to hug him around the waist, pressing her face against his chest. “Me and your dad worry about you.” he told her gently, and she sighed. “I know you don’t want to talk about it, but when you do, I’ll listen. I’m angry with her, too.”

Hannah pulled back enough to look up at him, her eyes narrowed a little, searching his face for truth. Apparently she found it, because she hugged him again, a little harder this time, then let go abruptly and returned to her window. He watched her for a moment, then turned to finish his own window.

After they finished the windows, Hannah washed the bathroom floors while Landon did some preparations for dinner. He’d always enjoyed cooking, but had rarely done much of it. Between college, and then later his prolonged ‘road trip’, he’s never much had an opportunity. Over the last three months however, since coming to live in Dean’s house, he’d done a lot of cooking. Dean was a lot of things, but talented in the kitchen was not one of them. Landon had been picking up on just how bad Dean was doing lately, so he was fixing something special for tonight.

Hannah came in, looking a little sweaty and disgruntled, just as he was sliding the two cake pans into the oven. She perched herself on one of the bar stools at the island. “Cake?” she asked. “Really?”

He smiled at her. “Of course.” he got her a bottle of cherry soda, which he kept in the house for himself, and she gave him a surprised look before taking a drink. “Chocolate cherry cake, actually. I’m making Dean those bar inspired burgers he liked.”

“Those were good.” she said. “Are you going to make onion rings too?” she asked.

“From scratch.” he nodded, and she smiled a little. It faltered and she looked down at her slightly pruned fingers.

“Can I talk to you about something, Lannie?” she said quietly.

Landon started on the frosting, standing on the opposite side of the island from her. “You can talk to me about anything, kiddo.” he told her. “You know that.”

She sighed and took another drink of her soda. “I didn’t punch Stacey because she called Madeline a whore. I know that’s what Dad thinks, but that’s not why.”

“Okay.” Landon raised an eyebrow. “Then why did you punch her?”

She met his eyes after a moment. She had Madeline’s eyes, a pale hazel green. “Stacey called you a faggot.”

He sighed and set the bowl he’d been holding down. He’d never talked to any of the kids about his sexual preferences; it had never been brought up, for one, and for another, he didn’t think it was anyone’s business. “What’s Stacey’s last night?” he asked.

“Vasquez.” she said. He nodded, recalling the name. She studied him. “Is it true?”

“Am I a faggot?” he asked her, and she flushed and looked away. “Would it matter to you if I was?”

“No.” she said carefully. “But I wouldn’t call you that. It’s okay if you are, but she shouldn’t call you that.”

“I am, kiddo.”

She looked at him. “You like boys.” he nodded. “Why?”

He laughed at this, unable to help himself. “Why do you like boys?” he countered, smiling. “It’s just how I am. It’s always been this way.”

She thought about this while she finished her soda. When she was done, she rinsed out the bottle and put it in the cupboard under the sink. By then Lannie had finished the frosting and stored it in the fridge, and was just cleaning up. “Lannie?” He looked up from wiping down the counter. “Why did Mom leave?” he stared at her, considering the fact that these girls, his nieces, were just as lost as confused as their father. He knew that Dean hadn’t told his girls what had happened, but for the first time, he realized how angry he was at his brother-in-law for that. She shuffled her feet. “I just-- I don’t understand why she left us. I thought-” she made a choking sound and tried not to cry. “I thought she-”

He dropped the hand towel he’d been using and went to her, crouching down a little to pull her into a hug. At the contact she burst into tears and pressed her face against his neck. She didn’t hug him, just wrapped her arms around her owns stomach, and sobbed for a long time. He legs cramped from the awkward angle, but he ignored it and simply held her, let her cry. When she finally calmed down, she pulled away, her face beet red, and wiped at her cheeks with both hands.

“Kiddo, I know you’re confused.” he told her gently, reaching up to smooth back her hair, which was plastered to her forehead. “Let me talk to Dean tonight. If he’d rather be the one to talk to you about Madeline, then I’ll let him know you need to hear about it, okay?” she nodded, looking miserable. “But if he can’t do it, we’ll talk tonight.”

She went up to her room, and he knew that she’d probably fall asleep until the other girls got home. He stood at the counter, listening to her shuffling footsteps up the stairs, and tried to keep his temper in check. He wasn’t sure who he was angrier at; Madeline for causing this entire mess, or Dean for not bothering to do any sort of damage control.

Irritated and slightly overwhelmed, Landon retrieved the book he’d been reading through and curled up on the couch to relax.
***************************************************************

“These are delicious, Lan.” Dean mumbled around a mouthful of burger, giving Landon and appreciative nod over the dinner table.

“Daddy, don’t talk with your mouth full.” Eleanor scolded.

“Sorry, baby.” Dean said before swallowing, and Eleanor gave him a rather adult look of exasperation.

Landon smirked a little and glanced around the table. Eleanor was eating as properly as usual. Hannah was sulking, but she’d eaten most of her food. Abby was wolfing down her dinner at light speed. He frowned.

“Abby, what’s the rush?” he asked her, and she looked up, her hazel gray eyes startled. “Do you have somewhere to be?”

“No.” she said with a tiny shrug. “I need to study, that’s all.”

Dean looked at his oldest daughter. “You’re going to have to wait until everyone’s finished for desert.” he pointed out.

She shot him an almost dirty look. “I’m allergic to chocolate, Dad.” she sniffed.

“That’s why I made you a mini cherry cheesecake.” Landon told her. She looked surprised and pleased that he’d thought of her. “Slow down, sit with us. Please? Otherwise, I could just eat the cheesecake.” he winked at her, and she smiled and slowed down her pace.

Dean attempted, as best he could, to get his daughters to share about their day. Eleanor had no problems chattering on about how her day was, and Abby shared some information, but when he asked Hannah, she simply glared at him until he got uncomfortable and averted his attention from her. She shot Landon a look when he resumed his conversation with Abby. He sighed and nodded at her.

“… tennis practice tomorrow?” Dean was saying to Abby.

“No.” she sighed. ‘There’s another big storm coming, so they cancelled it. I’ll be home right after school tomorrow.”

“Good. “Landon said, and she looked up at him, frowning a little. “We don’t see much of you, sweetness. It’ll be nice for you to get home earlier than normal. We can spend some time together.” he smiled at her. “Maybe you can show me how to sew.”

She nodded. “Sure, Uncle Lannie.”

“Great.” Dean chimed in, and Lannie looked over at his brother-in-law. He was smiling nervously around the table, his eyes much like those of a caged animal. Lannie sighed inwardly.

Eleanor took directly after Dean in coloring. He had the same almost unearthly silvery gray eyes, the same coal black hair, which he kept military short but spiky. His face was sharp, heavy, and square, attractive in a very rugged sort of way. He was incredibly tall, almost six five, wide shouldered, thin but muscular. He’d showered and changed immediately after work, like always, and now wore a pair of well fitting black jeans and a dark green tee shirt. Landon had never been exactly sure of his age, but he knew very close to forty.

Hannah helped Dean remove the plates from the table while Landon cut everyone slices of cake. They ate their desert in relative calm and decent cheer. Then, while Dean was loading the dishwasher, Landon took care of the girls. He made sure Hannah had finished her homework, installed Eleanor in the bath tub, and checked on Abby. After Eleanor was tucked in, Bump secure under the covers with her, Landon went back downstairs.

“Go say goodnight to your girls, Dean.” he told his brother-in-law gently. “Then we need to talk.”

Dean nodded, set his bottle of beer down on the counter, and went upstairs. Landon got his own beer from the fridge and perched on the counter directly above the dishwasher. When Dean came back downstairs, he leaned against the island facing Lannie, and waited.

Landon studied his brother-in-law carefully before speaking. “Hannah asked me why Madeline left today.” he said softly, and Dean wouldn’t meet his eyes. “I need to know if you’re going to talk to her or if I am. Someone needs to, Dean, and even though I think it should be you, if you can’t, then I will.”

Dean took a long drink of his beer and sighed. “I know I should.” he mumbled. “I’ve been really dropping the ball with the girls lately. But I just… I can’t…” he scowled. “Hannah’s the worst.” he said. “She reminds me of her, you know. Not looks, not really. But the way she is.” Landon nodded. Dean glanced up at him, smirking. “Actually, you look more like Madeline than any of the girls do.”

“Funny.” Landon quipped, sipping his beer. “I’m serious, though, Dean.”

“I know.” he bit his bottom lip. “I’ll talk to her.” he said finally, making Landon smile. “Tomorrow, after I get home from work. Okay?” Lannie nodded. “Okay.” Landon hopped off the counter and headed for the stairs, but when Dean said his name he stopped and turned back to his brother-in-law. “Stay down here?” Dean asked, and Landon tilted his head, confused. Dean looked uncomfortable. “You always hide up in the attic when I’m home.” he said. “I mean, we don’t talk a lot.”

Landon studied him for a moment. He knew Dean was lonely, knew how miserable the older man was. But still… if he was being honest with himself, Dean made him just as uncomfortable as Dean looked right now. If he was being honest, he knew exactly how he wanted to help Dean get over his big sister. It was a dilemma, but he had always been good at controlling himself, his emotions. He cared for Dean a lot. He just didn’t like being alone with him.

He was smart enough, however, to know that sometimes, what he wanted to do and what others needed him to do didn’t always match up. He got two more beers out of the fridge, gave Dean a reassuring smile, and said, “Let’s go sit on the front porch and watch the storm come in.”

Dean nodded, smiling gratefully. Landon had always noticed how that certain smile of Dean’s was so open, so inviting, and now was no different. He sighed gently and followed his brother-in-law out the front door. They sat side by side on the bench in front of the living room window, drinking and talking over the rumble of thunder as the storm drew closer. They talked about Dean’s job, about the girls, about the house. Dean eventually asked him about his time before living with him, about why he left college and started road tripping.

Landon watched the sky carefully as he spoke. “I fell in love with a guy named Zach. I met him my freshman year of college. He was positive. When we got together, he was healthy. He started to get sick about a year and a half after that, and he got sick fast. Not hospitalized sick, but sick enough. He told me one night about how he always wanted to drive across the country. So I emptied my bank account, cashed in a couple of bonds, and sold most of my stuff. I bought a car and we left.”

“You dropped out of college for him?” Dean asked softly, sounding astounded and a little confused. “You loved him that much?”

Landon shrugged. “I was young.” he said. “I thought everything would be okay, like if he got this, then he would get better.” he trailed off for a while, frowning at the storm clouds. “When he hit California, we got a motel room with a beach view and I went out to get us Chinese food. When I left, he looked so happy… pale, and tired, but so happy.”

He stopped here, drinking his beer and swallowing around a thick, painful lump in his throat. Finally he said, “When I got back, I found Zach in the bath tub. He’d slit his wrists.”

“Fuck.” Dean whispered hoarsely. “Jesus Christ.”

Landon chuckled at this. “About my reaction, although I think I was screaming it.” he sighed and set his empty beer bottle aside. “I didn’t come home. Not right away. Zach’s parents paid to have his body shipped home. They buried him and I kept driving. I went a lot of places. I drank a lot. When I finally ran out of money I stayed in Wichita for a while. Then I came here.”

Dean was watching him, but Landon wouldn’t meet his eyes. He’d never really said it like that, just bluntly out in the open. He was surprised to find that it feel a little better afterwards. He opened his second beer and took a long drink. “I’m not positive.” he said, and noticed the way Dean flinched. “I never slept with him. Hell… I think I kissed him a grand total of twice through all of it. It wasn’t like that. You don’t have to worry-”

“Don’t.” Dean cut in, and Lannie stopped and finally looked at him. Dean looked agonized. “I didn’t think that.”

“Okay.” Landon said with a small shrug.

“Thank you.” Dean said, sounding sincere and upset.

Landon knew he was thanking him for the honesty, for the show of trust, and he nodded at his brother-in-law, surprised at how easy it was to find a smile for the older man.

“What did you do in Wichita?” Dean asked.

Landon sighed, still smiling a little. “I think that’s a story for another night, Dean.” he said, reaching over and patting Dean’s knee without really thinking about it. He stood up, and Dean did as well. “I’m tired now.”

“All right.” he said with a little nod. “Good night, Lan.”

“Good night, Dean.” Landon replied. “Don’t stay up too late. Tomorrow’s another early day for you.”

Dean grinned. “Yea, I know. I’m a big boy, I can remember my own work schedule.” he said this teasingly. “You don’t need to take care of me all the time.”

“Yes I do.” Landon said seriously, and Dean’s smile faltered. “That’s why I’m here.”

Dean studied him, his eyes dark. “Lan…”

Landon shrugged. “I don’t mind it, either, so don’t start feeling like-” Dean startled him by pulling him into a hug. It was awkward, and actually kind of painful. Dean’s arms were too tight around his shoulders. Landon put one hand nervously on Dean’s back, the other settling on his hip so softly he was barely actually touching his brother-in-law. “Dean?”

“Thank you.” he said again, and Landon felt the tiniest of tremors run through the older man. “For everything.”

Landon closed his eyes and hugged his brother-in-law for a moment longer before gently prying away. He gave Dean a gentle pat on the shoulder, said good night again, and went inside. He checked in on Eleanor, who was sound asleep, and then took a quick shower. He sat up for a while, laying in his hammock with his book, but he didn’t read anything. He just laid there, and he thought about things.

It was very late when he finally heard Dean’s heavy footsteps on the stairs below him. He sighed softly, turned off his lamp, and closed his eyes.
***************************************************************

So, that’s the first part. What did everyone think? How are the characters? Was the pacing okay? Let me know what you think? Also, please be gentle with the grammar errors, I don’t have a beta!

So, yea, I also don’t have a title for this one… any suggestions would be awesome. I’m bad at naming things.