Coming to NY had been the worst idea you had in a long time, you had found your boyfriend in bed with another woman and now your phone was dead in the middle of NY. You were lost, there was no one on the street, not even a stupid taxi passed by, after going around several times you see a man with a baseball cap on the opposite sidewalk, without thinking twice you go to him with your phone in your hand.
“Hi, look i was wondering if….” you start to say when he interrupts you.
“Can I go out for a walk without being stopped at every corner? i have a life” he shouts, he looks at you before continuing walking.
“thanks for nothing” you yell back at him “great” you say outloud, you decide to keep walking to see if you could find a taxi that can take you to the train station, after a few minutes you feel someone approaching you from behind, when you turn a man pushes you against the wall, your head hits the concrete and for a moment your vision becomes blurred “I’m always curious about what women carry in their bags, do you mind if i get a look?” the man says grabbing your purse, you still dizzy when he says “nice jacket, i’m sure I can get money out of it” He starts to take it from you and when you resist, he hits you in the face, the impact is so strong that you lose consciousness.
Chris only wanted to go for a walk, it was late and he did not expect to meet anyone, walking through the streets of NY without being recognized was something difficult to achieve and if it were not for the girl from before he would have succeeded, after walking for a while, he decides to go back to the apartment he had rented, when he was one block from his apartment a leg sticking out of an alley exit caught his eye. When he approaches, what he sees makes his blood burn, there was an unconscious girl on the floor, she was without a jacket or shoes, he quickly approaches the girl but as soon as he brushes her hair from her face to see her state the girl shrinks away from him.
“dont touch me” you shout.
“i want to help you” Chris says, he doesn’t want to scare you.
“i just want to go home” you say, tears fall down your face.
“you are the girl from before?” he says feeling guilty.
“and you are that asshole“ you say shivering
“look, i’m sorry” He takes off his jacket and puts it on you, it was snowing and you were going to freeze “let me call an ambulance”
“no… I’m fine and it would cost me a lot of money for nothing” you said appreciating the warmth of the coat.
“You have to be freezing, my apartment is right here, let me take you there so you can warm up” when he sees the fear on your face he adds “i don’t know what happend but…i want to help you, i can’t leave you here”
“okay” you had no other option and he seems sincere.
“i’m going to help you to get up okay?” he tells you and you agree, He helps you up and wraps his arm around your waist to help you walk, you can’t feel your toes, luckily the apartment was close. As soon as you enter the apartment he raises the temperature “sit on the sofa” He throws a blanket over you, you still wear his jacket but you don’t want to take it off yet. “do you feel better?” he asks.
“i can’t feel my feet” you say.
“I’m going to heat water” He goes to the kitchen and after a few minutes he appears with a bowl full of hot water “here, according to Google, it can hurt due to the change in temperature, but you have to do it” he says, and If you weren’t worried about your feet, you would smile because he had googled it.
“okay” you say putting your feet inside “fuck” it hurts but he grabs your hand in support.
“do you feel better?” he asks, his concern seemed sincere.
“yeah, now it’s feels good” you say when the pain finally passes.
“do you want me to call someone?” he asks you.
“no.. i have no one in the city at least not anymore” It still hurts to think about him.
“you can stay here tonight” he offers.
“are you sure?” you aks confussed “why are you helping me?”
“I behaved like an asshole and if I had talk to you earlier you wouldn’t have a black eye” He goes back to the kitchen and brings an ice cloth. He carefully places it in your black eye, at first you feel pain but then it calms down and you appreciate the gesture “are you feeling better?”
“yes, thank you for helping me, after the night that I’ve had….” you say.
“what happend tonight? besides being robbed”
“My boyfriend works here in the city and I decided to surprise him by taking a train to spend the weekend together, but he was the one who surprised me when I saw him in bed with another woman” you take a deep breath before continuing “Then my phone ran out of battery and there wasn’t any taxi so when I saw you I decided to see if you would leave me a charger or let me make a call, then you give me the finger and the rest you already know”
“i didn’t gave you the finger….look i’m sorry I thought you wanted a photo and…” he starts to say when you cut him off.
“why would i want a photo?” you ask.
“it doesn’t matter…i’m sorry” he says half smiling.
“it’s okay, you are helping me now and I already feel better” you take off his jacket.
“I’ll sleep on the sofa, you can stay in my room” he offers.
“oh no, i couldn’t….” you start to say.
“please, I’m not going to sleep much tonight“ he insists.
“yeah well me neither, I’m still upset about what happened“ you say almost in a whisper
“you have to think that you are fine and that you are better without your stupid boyfriend” he says to give you comfort.
“you are right, and i have a cool story to tell” you smile for the first time tonight “saved by a stranger” he smiles at you “i’m sorry, i don’t even know your name, I’m Y/N” after all and you still didn’t know his name.
“i’m Chris” He looks at you expecting some kind of reaction “I would say that is pleasure to meet you but …” he smiles and god.. he has a beautiful smile, you think to yourself. You spend several hours talking, where are you from, your favorite movies, that pizza can’t have pineapple and many other things.
“it is very late or very early, it depends on how you want to look at it“ you say when you see what time it was.
“have we been talking for so long?“ he smiles “i’m sorry”
“why? i had a good time” you bite your lip.
“yeah me too” he looks at your lips.
“i need to call my mom, she can lend me money to buy the train ticket” you say to change the subject
“i can pay for it” he offers.
“no, it’s to much”
“then let me lend you the money and you can pay me when you can” he insist.
“okay, thank you” you accept.
“But I’m not going to take your money for the coat and the shoes” he says surprising you.
“what coat and shoes?”
“The ones I bought you last night and they arrive in 20 minutes” he explains.
“no Chris, that is too much, i can’t” Although you are thankful that he thought about it.
“Of course you can, I insist”
“okay” You accept but you plan to send the money anyway . 20 minutes later you already have the jacket and shoes and a train ticket. “i guess i should go now” you say a little sad “thank you, not just for helping me but for tonight, i had fun talking to you”
“yeah me too” He looks at you quietly for a few seconds “Maybe fate will make us meet again” he adds.
“maybe…goodbye Chris” you hug him.
“goodbye Y/N” He says still hugging you, the hug lasts longer than it should, as if neither of you wanted to go.
You should be wanting to get out of the city after everything that has happened but when the train is late you feel relief, a small part of you did not want to leave and you knew very well why. Chris. When you finally get on the train and find your seat you still can’t get Chris out of your head, but how could you not, he had saved you tonight, you had spent the night talking and you felt like there was something special but, everything was in your head so it was time to leave him behind. Leave everything that happend last night behind.
“is this seat taken?” a familiar voice tells you, making you get out of your thoughts.
“Chris? what are you doing here?” Your heart skips a beat at the sight of him on the train.
“I did not want to leave it to fate“ And with that, he sits next to you with a big smile on his face, but not as big as yours.
Summary: Two strangers in a grocery store are brought together by a little boy determined to make them a family.
Word Count:2.7k
Warnings: Fluff, Defending Jacob non-canon ending, brief mention of grief/child loss, brief mention of absentee parent
A/N:*THIS IS PROBABLY A MINI-SERIES* I’m trying to jump back into writing, so feedback is both very appreciated and very scary for my anxious self. Be gentle please. Also, don’t translate or post my work on other sites. | Jammies | Dividers by @firefly-graphics
“Daddy!” The excited cheer and the rapid scampering footsteps in Andy’s direction made him immediately tense. Nothing could prepare him for the smack of a little body into his legs or the tug of tiny hands on the hem of his suit jacket.
When he exhaled a long, slow breath and looked down, excited eyes stared up at him. His routine of grocery shopping late Thursday nights was now interrupted by a pajama-clad toddler. “Hey, pal. Where’s your mah?”
“Uppy?” The little boy’s big eyes now glimmered with tears, despite the big smile, and a familiar tug on his heart and he slipped his hands under the kid’s arms to scoop him up before he started wailing. Before Andy could ask his question again, the little boy’s small hands were on Andy’s beard giggling, “Daddy, you’re prickly!” Swallowing, he smiled a crooked smile as he noticed a familiarity in the coloring in the little boy’s irises, blue with hints of yellow-green near the pupils. Laurie used to say Jacob had sunflowers in his eyes. The thought of his ex-wife and their late son made him sniffle. This little guy in his arms quickly threw them around Andy’s neck, “Don’t cry, Daddy! I’m so happy you’re finally here.”
Andy patted the little boy on the back, exhaling a shaky breath before adjusting the kid’s weight and picking up his grocery basket, “Which way’s your mah?” Moving out of the aisle toward the checkout, he adjusted his Red Sox cap to get a better look down the deserted store. The closer he got to the front, Andy heard the panicked rambling of a woman. “I think I found what you’re looking for.”
Your head snapped so quickly at the sound of his deep voice that he thought you might be about to hit him. His step back made you immediately melt with relief and apologies as your gaze raked up his body. It wasn’t until you saw Andy’s face that you realized exactly what was happening. “I’m so sorry. C’mere, Bubba,” You tried to peel your son off the unsuspecting and gorgeous stranger but he nuzzled his face into the man’s neck and clung onto him tighter. “This is all my fault. I’m really so sorry. C’mon, AJ.”
With a few gentle pats to the little boy’s back, Andy tried to coax him to let go. “I’m not sure what you’re apologizing for, but it’s okay. He’s a sweet little guy but…” Andy felt the steady, gentle breaths on his neck, “It’s late and he’s out like a light.”
He studied your face as a new pained look of anxiety settled there. “This is all my fault. He’s gotten really into superheroes and we were marathoning those Marvel movies. Ever since he started asking about his dad, I could only manage to tell him that he was off saving the world…” You swiped your hand almost angrily at the silent tear that fell down your cheek before continuing. “I didn’t think he’d connect that to his dad, but I think you kind of look like… We just watched Infinity War.” Andy’s eyebrows knit together with confusion, still not sure what she meant. “It’s why we’re even here this late. I should’ve known it was too scary for him. He hasn’t slept since his nap yesterday afternoon. I was trying to find those melatonin gummies.”
“Look, it’s okay, really. I’m pretty much done, let’s go find that and maybe the longer he’s out he’ll actually stay asleep and you won’t need to use it.” Andy offered an empathetic smile and nodded toward the aisle the little guy must have ran from. “My son wasn’t easy to get down at night. I wish it could’ve been as simple as a gummy or carrying him around for a few minutes.”
Your eyes lit up for a moment at the mention that he’d been in your shoes, but when you looked at him you saw how set his jaw was, clearly not wanting to talk about his family. Instead you focused on how this man’s broad hand kept gently rubbing your son’s back, your own trick to hush him to sleep. Swallowing, you moved and kept your eyes on the items on the shelves, walking slowly through rows of vitamins and generic medicine. “His dad’s in the military. I don’t actually know anything else about him, not really. Child support comes in, but he’s not interested in a relationship with him. One mistake changed my whole life, but at least it was a change for the better. I know, all too well, that most people’s mistakes cost them everything.”
Andy wondered if this was your way of telling him that you knew who he was or about the case. Initially, after the crash when both Laurie and Jacob were in the hospital he’d left the practice. After Jacob passed and Laurie divorced him he needed the familiarity and, frankly, a job that could take up as much time as he was willing to let it. It was part of the reason he grocery shopped so late, coming straight from work while also avoiding anyone that could possibly recognize him. He’d been studying your face, waiting for some sort of recognition and instead found a tired young woman that lit up at the sight of melatonin gummies. “I think you might not need it tonight. I just have a few more things to grab, if you don’t mind, and then I can help put him in his car seat.”
“You really don’t have to do that.”
“It’s kind of comforting, honestly. My son, he’s gone and his mother and I aren’t…” Andy trailed off, lowering his gaze to the groceries in the basket he was lugging around. Her eyes moved from the sadness in his eyes to the way AJ clung to him- even in his sleep, and then to the basket full of freezer food.
“Let’s get your groceries, but I’m going to have to insist that you let me pay you back with a real dinner.” Andy couldn’t remember the last time he had a home cooked meal. It wasn’t that he couldn’t cook, but Laurie had done it before and on the rare times he did it was for a family of three with the intent of both Laurie and himself having leftovers for work the next day. His mouth bobbed open to protest, maybe to mention the hour or to ask for a rain check that he’d never fulfill, but you were faster. “I said, I insist.”
Your smile was warm and bright, even though you really did look exhausted. With a nod and a smile that mirrored yours the pair of you walked through the store, fairly quiet aside from your humming of the song playing overhead. He grabbed some more overly processed chronic bachelor foods and you picked up a few more things to make him dinner before checking out. By the time your son was buckled into the car, you realized just how crazy inviting a nameless stranger you just let carry your kid around the grocery store. As if he was reading your mind, the man gently shut the door and opened yours, “I’m Andy, by the way. Andrew Barber, technically, but no one ever calls me that.”
With a look of surprise you glanced into the back seat, “That little guy is Andrew, too. Andrew Joyner, but I’ve always called him AJ.” You gave him your name and address, noticing how he’d been a little distracted by your sleeping son as you spoke. Though you’d never seen AJ’s father with AJ, you’d always hoped that he’d look at AJ like that, like the world started and stopped with those eyes. It was at that moment, Andy took off his ball cap and you really saw his eyes and just how similar the color was to your son’s, his only trait he shared with his father. “Want me to wait so you can follow us?” He shook his head and smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. With a nod, you made your way home and tried to pull yourself together by mentally walking through the steps of the meal you were about to make.
Andy pulled in just a few short moments after you and he was quick to shuffle around to help, “I got him. Why don’t you get the door?” His thoughtfulness was jarring and you couldn’t help but recall the few dates you’d been on since AJ was born. Men never opened doors anymore, several ‘forgot their wallet’ on expensive dates, and the few that made it long enough for you to mention AJ ghosted. “Your home is beautiful.” His eyes moved around the open concept of your small two story home, seemingly ignoring the toys strewn across the living room and the basket of laundry with your panties on top right by the open laundry room door. Instead he stopped at the wall by the door, covered in pictures of your family. “Wow, he looks like he’s the happiest little guy in the world.”
You took the opportunity to pick up a few things as you moved further into the house. “He’s always been super easy. Honestly, today was the first real heart attack he’s given me.”
Andy’s eyes found yours in every picture, too. The lawyer couldn’t help but notice that you were always so happy with AJ in your arms and a little lost when alone, but you’d turned a corner now and he couldn’t see you, only hear the cautious clang of pots being gently pulled down. “What is it you do, if you don’t mind my asking?” Andy sat at one of the stools on the kitchen island, a little relieved that you hadn’t led him straight to AJ’s room to put him down because he found comfort in those small arms sleep-hugging him as he patted his back. “I’m a lawyer, if I didn’t mention that.”
“Fancy!” You chuckled softly, wiggling your shoulders a little as you looked back at him from the sink where you filled a pot with water. “I’m a freelance graphic designer.” After the pot was on the stove, you pointed to a door off of the living room behind him. “I get to work from home and as much as I want or need to. Mostly, I’m with him all day and work at night after he goes to bed.”
“Is that what you always wanted to do?” Andy had so many questions he wanted to ask you, but the ones that seemed to come out were so surface level. His eyes fell to the little boy asleep in his arms and, as if he felt Andy’s heart stutter and swell, he stirred, just a little. AJ’s face nuzzled further into the corner of Andy’s neck, his little nose twitching at the tickle of his beard. Rocking his hips with the swivel of the chair, the corner of Andy’s mouth turned up in a smile and, looking up when he realized you hadn’t answered, he caught you watching him. “Has he always been…”
“Easy to love?” Andy nodded and your smile grew. “I like to think so, but this is different. I think he chose you.” Biting your lip you turned around, not finishing your thought aloud. As you stirred the sauce into noodles, adding more seasoning and lowering the temperature, you let out a slow sigh and then answered his question. “I was that kid that never knew what they wanted to be, head always in the clouds, and I think that creativity helped me be successful in this job. I just helped a few friends here and there, word of mouth helped my clientele expand, and bit by bit I established something successful. I really do love it, but I might not love it so much if it wasn’t for the fact that it lets me do what I really want to do every day.”
It was obvious Andy had been listening to you intently. His hand had paused on AJ’s back, his rocking back and forth had slowed and a small creased line formed between his eyebrows as if he was about to ask another question, but instead asked, “Should we get him to bed while it’s simmering?”
With a nod and a soft smile, you couldn’t help but wonder what he wasn’t saying. Nevertheless, you led him to the stairs. Andy followed you slowly, stopping as he looked at the art and pictures on the walls before he made it to the top. There were three doors and the one straight ahead was open to a duck themed bathroom that dizzied Andy with the sweet floral scent of your perfume. Turning left to follow you into a blue-green bedroom, he took in the simple space with a small bookshelf stuffed with books, a spaceship bed with Finding Nemo blankets and a stuffed giraffe, and the various toys strewn about the room were just as diverse. Overall, it was mostly empty and he could see the little guy growing up in that house, finding himself. For a moment sadness washed over Andy’s expression and you wanted to reach out and hug him, certain he was probably thinking about his own boy’s room. Instead, you stepped aside and picked up toys, watching Andy tuck AJ in out of the corner of your eye. “I’m amazed he let you go.”
A soft chuckle, weighted with sadness, quietly passed his lips as the man stood back up to his full height and gazed down at your son. There was an obvious tenderness to that look, longing. Before he turned and headed out of the bedroom, Andy faintly whispered, “Sweet dreams, Bubba.”
You smiled at him, aware he’d used your nickname for your son, before following him down to the kitchen after cracking AJ’s door. Andy watched you walk down the stairs and you couldn’t help but feel aware of what you looked like after a long day of chasing your boy around. Your fingertips toyed with the hem of your jeans as you used every ounce of restraint to stop yourself from fidgeting with your hair or staring at how long and lean the attractive lawyer looked perched on the stool waiting for you. Instead, you headed straight to the cabinet and pulled down a shallow plate to serve up, “Spaghetti pomodoro was one of the first things I learned how to cook. Would you like something to drink? I usually have mine with white wine, but I have beer, water, orange juice, and apple juice.”
“I’ll have it like you do, but just a little since I’m driving.” Andy looked down at the plate and back at you, had you been looking you might have noticed the way questions seemed to dance across his face again. “It smells amazing. Thank you, you really didn’t have to.”
“I know, but I wanted to.”
You cleaned the dishes while he ate, both of you periodically asking each other questions or stealing glances. There were no uncomfortable silences, he didn’t irritate you with slurping or chomping, and he even offered to help you clean while praising your cooking. As the two of you walked to the door he held up the container of leftovers you gave him. “Thank you. I’m already looking forward to lunch tomorrow.”
Before you could stop yourself you asked, “But what about dinner?”
Andy turned on his heel and looked down at you, the porch light offering up a warm glow that was only highlighting his smile. “I would need to bring you back the container.”
“Then I guess you’ll just have to join us again. What time do you get off work?” After plans were made and numbers were exchanged you offered up a soft, “We’ll see you tomorrow and I promise I’ll talk to AJ about calling you Mr. Barb-”
“It’s fine, sweetheart. Don’t worry about it. I’ll see you tomorrow.” The lawyer was quick to cut you off, his nonchalance over what your son called him making your forehead wrinkle.
He leaned down and kissed your forehead, giving your shoulder a squeeze. Confused, all you could manage was a whispered, “Goodnight, Andy.”
The way that man looked back at you from the bottom of the stairs with an unpracticed, soft smile only to say, “G’night.” Well, you had a reason to toss and turn tonight.
A/N:The next part is partially written and I think I’d like to see what people thought about this story before I put more heart into it. I’ve just been gone so long that I’m not sure anyone’s even around. Hi, it’s me, your favorite flake
Tags are open, just send an ask.You can also be asked to be taken off. I won’t get butthurt
warnings; non-con, dub-con, Defending Jacob spoilers, smut, sex, rough sex, anal sex, vaginal fingering, nipple play, mentions of rape, mentions of murder, panic/anxiety attack
status; in progress
summary; You work overnight at a diner. You thought you were used to the creeps that come in, but boy, were your wrong. A chance run in with the town’s most notorious family man turns into a twisted, dark romance with redemption for your soul – and his.
You met Andy at the hospital one day when you had been there to visit a friend. She’d just had a baby and you had brought gifts for the baby and your friend. As you walked by a private waiting room, you could hear sobbing from the other side of the door. Normally, you would have just kept walking but there was something that made you stop. Maybe it was the amount of pain you could hear as the man cried.
You softly knocked on the door and waited until you were told to come in.
The man sitting on one of the couches was wiping his cheeks, trying to hide the fact that he had just been crying his eyes out. You closed the door back behind you.
“I’m sorry.” You suddenly felt awkward and you regretted coming in.
“Do I know you?”
You shook your head no. “I was walking by the door and I heard someone crying. You seemed to be in pain and… I couldn’t just keep walking.” You looked at him. “Do you need anything? Can I go get anyone for you?”
Andy stared at you, unsure of what you were really doing there. Surely you knew who he was. By now everyone did. But there was something in your eyes. Sincerity. You weren’t there to pry, you weren’t there to try and get information to sell to the media. You heard a human being in pain and you stopped for them. Not knowing, or caring, who it was.
“Co- Could you stay?”
You nodded and walked over to the other couch, sitting down as you faced him.
You told him your name and waited for him to do the same.
“You don’t know who I am?” He asked, genuinely surprised.
You chewed on your lip nervously. “I’m sorry. Are you famous? I’m so out of it with pop culture.”
Andy laughed. A genuine laugh. He almost jumped at the sound he let out, he hadn’t heard himself laugh in so long.
“I’m Andy. Andy Barber.”
The name did sound familiar. You were racking your brain, trying to figure out where you had heard it. Then it hit you.
Andy Barber, father of Jacob Barber who was accused of murdering his classmate before his mom crashed the car into a brick wall.
Andy could tell the exact moment you had figured out who he was.
“Oh, Andy. I’m so sorry.” You reached over to him to squeeze his hand, a small comforting gesture.
You don’t know how long you sat in the waiting room, holding Andy’s hand as he spoke and cried.
