Chapter Text
The moon was high in the sky with not a cloud in sight. A rare occasion for a November night in England for sure, and perfect for a small fire in the backyard.
Big-D watched his youngest child and only daughter, Alyssa, shuffle through a stack of photographs in her hands, her eyes clearly displaying her sorrow as she went through memories that once held joy. Many of those photos he’d taken himself. He made it a point to keep record of precious moments within his family, but this was one of the rare instances where some memories needed to be forgotten.
“Alyssa,” he gently said, resting a hand on her shoulder and getting a glimpse of the memories that were about to be destroyed. They were of his daughter and two others, a boy and a girl, old friends turned betrayers. She didn’t make any indication to acknowledge him. “If you’re not ready…”
Nothing. Then, one by one, she flicked each photo into the fire, tossing them faster and faster until none were left. She ripped the two friendship bracelets off her wrist and threw them into the blaze with a roar of pure, unadulterated rage. Once the broken bonds she once held dear were burned away did she drop to her knees and let out the most heartbreaking cry Big-D had ever heard from his child.
He knelt down and held his daughter as she let out all of the sorrow she had bottled up for months. He wanted to take away her pain; this was a life lesson he never wanted his children to ever learn like this. Yet, the only thing he could do as her father was to console her and be her needed support as she healed her heart. The path would be long, and it would be years before her heart would fully heal if ever.
“Let’s go inside,” he suggested once her sobs had turned to sniffles. “Kitten, Marckus and Door have your little movie nest all set up for your Lord of the Rings marathon.”
“Okay,” she hiccuped, her voice muffled by his chest.
“Come now,” he helped her up and walked with her back to the house. “There’s a massive bowl of popcorn ready for consumption and a equally big bottle of soda to wash it down.”
“Dad,” her voice was barely a whisper and he almost missed what she said. “Thanks…for everything.”
“Anytime, sweetie.” He opened the door and let her shuffle inside before he followed. Door and Boy were waiting in the kitchen with all the needed makings for smores.
“Hey, Auntie,” Boy greeted his slightly older aunt. “Dad and I are gonna make smores like how you showed me.”
“Oooh! Delicious roasted marsh mellow and chocolate sandwiched between cinnamon crackers,” D said with his normal cheer, knowing his daughter wasn’t in the mood for talking at all.
“We will set some aside for you, little sister,” Door said, gently nudging the youngest member of their family towards the back door. “Boy and I will tend to the fire.”
“Have fun with your marathon,” Boy called over his shoulder as they went to the fire still going in the yard.
D watched Alyssa slowly ascend the stairs until he couldn’t see her. Once he heard her bedroom door open and close did he go back out to the fire. He would partake in the creation and consumption of the American treat.
Alyssa had just gotten to the scene where Bilbo disappeared from his birthday party when she heard a knock on the door.
“Hey, Auntie,” Boy said shyly as he cracked open the door and held up a plate with two smores. “Mind if I hang out with you? We’re done making smores.”
“Sure,” she said, patting the space next to her. “Want me to restart the movie?”
“Nah, it’s okay.” He scampered over, sat down next to her and placed the plate down in front of them. Then he dug into his pocket and brought out two toys that resembled bricks. “Our Digimon can watch with us too.”
That got a smile out of her for the first time in a while. Alyssa patted her nephew’s head and said, “Thanks, bud.”
They didn’t get far into the first movie before they began to drift off to sleep. Boy was the first to clonk out during Frodo’s recovery in Rivendell, and Alyssa ended up turning off the TV and DVD player before the Fellowship’s trek through Moria before she went to sleep as well. Neither of them stirred when Kitten peaked in to check on them, and the man quietly left them to their dreams.
“Son-in-law,” D’s voice, not as boisterous as it normally was, cut the silence of the house. “How are the youngest of our family doing?”
“Fast asleep,” he reported. “I don’t think they even finished the first movie, but they did polish off all the food we had out for Alyssa.”
“Hmm,” the elder Hunter mused, clearly concerned for the only girl of the house. Kitten could understand his worry; what Alyssa went through was traumatizing enough for her to shut down and go mute for six months. It was only recently in the past three weeks that they managed to finally break through to her and coax a few words out of her a day, and it was all thanks to Boy’s curiosity over an old toy of hers that flipped a switch in her.
“They also have their Digimon out too,” Kitten continued. “Never thought a toy of all things would get through to her, but it’s worked surprisingly well.”
“To you it is, but Door was the one to get her that toy years ago,” D explained. “They and Marckus would battle their little pets regularly back then. It is more likely that she is passing on her love for these digital monsters to her nephew and making new, happy memories to suppress the sorrow in her heart.”
“Ah,” Kitten had a light bulb moment then. “So, is Boy’s device…?”
“It used to be Door’s, but he gave it to Boy when he asked to borrow it to play with his aunt.”
“I guess that explains Marckus’s inspiration for that fanfic he’s been writing on and off.”
“Oh?”
“He’s been writing about Alyssa and Boy going on an adventure with their Digimon partners. It’s adorable.”
“As adorable as the two subjects it’s based on!”
“In any case, they’re both tuckered out for the night.”
“And we should leave them in peace. I shall turn in for the night too. Good night, son-in-law!”
“Good night, Sir-D.”
The two men went to their respective rooms, not knowing just how true Marckus’s story of the two kids might be and unaware of two ghostly entities watching over said children as they slept.