Ruby Creek

Note: The characters are a part of a big story line. Snippet of their old life will be mentioned. Follow Chandler Monarch and Ethan Demetri Hale in their first road trip as a family!

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TIME: 5:35 PM

In a vast dry land with scanty vegetation, a black strip of road stretched, paving a way to the sky high mountains. As the sun crawled to the west, the heat on the road dipped and the blue in dimmed.

A SUV zipped through the empty road, blowing up dust on its way.

"Old MacDonald had a farm

Ee i ee i o

And on his farm he had some cows

Ee i ee i oh

With a moo-moo here"

The occupants in the car were two men in the front and two little girls in back, dressed prettily and seated comfortably in their car seats.

The driver and the two girls sang to their heart's content, oblivious to the other man's annoyance. The raven haired man glared at his companion, their screeching hurt his sensitive ears, “The kids will be thirsty, Ethan,” He gritted out, smiling politely at his obnoxious husband.

Ethan, a brown haired man with a neatly trimmed beard glanced at their daughters from the rear view mirror and cast a smirk at him. Sending a wink at his way, Ethan singing louder with their daughters.

Rolling his eyes at his husband, the younger man glanced at their daughters with a polite smile on his lips, “Girls, who needs treats?”

The scream- singing stopped, immediately replaced by shooting hands, wide grins and little cheers, “Me! Me!” The girls exclaimed  in unison.

“Chan, they just finished their snacks,” Ethan chided, sending a reprimanding glare at his husband.

Ignoring his husband, Chandler clapped his hands and plastered a wide smile, “Next stop, you’re getting your delicious treats!” 

“Yeah!” The dark haired girl with pigtails cheered while the five-year-old red-head frowned at her daddy, “When’s next stop, daddy?” 

“In uh…” Chandler glanced at his husband and raised a brow. Ethan smirked wickedly, “In an hour, Cindy” He stated, earning a stinging slap on his thigh.

“Hour! Nooooo,” Cindy whined, kicking the air with a stubborn pout. All thoughts of singing forgotten.

Noting his husband’s frustration, Ethan smiled at their kids, “Cindy, there’s a gas station ahead we can buy some candies and ice cream!”

“Ice-cweam?! Yes!” Squealing lightly, Cindy shook her dark haired sister, “Ice-cream! Kiki! Ahhh!”

Kiki giggled and poked her sister's cheek in return.

“Look out for the gas station, girls,” Ethan smiled while reaching out to squeeze his husband’s thigh. Chandler unconsciously laced their fingers and squeezed his hand.

“Okie!” The girls cheered, unaware of their parents romance.

Snapping back to his anger, Chandler unlaced their fingers and slapped his hand away, “Hands on the wheel,” He chided, ignoring Ethan's yelp and crossing his arms over his chest. 

“Grinch,” Ethan grumbled, earning a snort from his husband.

A mile later, he spotted a gas station with a huge billboard, RUBY CREEK.

“GAS STATION!” Kiki yelled while Cindy danced in her car seat. 

Chandler sighed, “Alright, time to freshen up,” As soon as Ethan pulled over and parked their car, Chandler got out to unbuckle their girls. 

Hopping out of the car, Kiki bounced on her toes and looked around in excitement. A few seconds later, Cindy joined her and laced their hands, “Ice-cweam!” She pointed at the store.

“Yes yes,” Chandler patted Cindy’s head and glanced at Ethan, “We’ll be in the store,” He said as Ethan neared them and kissed Chandler’s cheek.

“Buy something for me,” Ethan slid a note into Chandler’s hand with a wicked smirk on his lips. 

Stifling a smile, Chandler nodded and stuffed the note in his pocket, “Don’t be late, old man,” Leaning in, he kissed the corner of his lips and squeezed his husband’s hand. 

“Ass,” Ethan mumbled, sending a slight glare at his man and squeezing his hand in return.

“Papa said a nono word!” Cindy scowled and crossed her arms over her chest with a disappointed look on her face.

“It means donkey, sweetheart,” Ethan grinned and winked at his husband.

Chandler rolled his eyes, “Yes it does,” He grumbled when Cindy cast him an expectant look. Ignoring his husband, Chandler ushered his girls to the store.

.

.

Once inside the store, he took his daughters to the snack aisle and let them pick out their snacks. Using their distraction, Chandler opened the note and read his husband’s chicken scratching, ‘How do his patients read this?’ His annoyance bloomed into embarrassment when he finally understood his handwriting, Santa’s sock.

Chandler’s face bloomed, taking the shade of a ripe tomato, ‘That jerk!’ He screamed internally and plotted his husband’s demise. He was sick and horny with the way his husband found new words to keep their love life a secret from their prying daughters.

“Daddy? Are you alright?” Kiki tugged his pants noting her daddy’s glare. 

Chandler blinked, glancing at his daughter, “Y-Yes, baby, daddy was just thinking. Did you select everything you need?”

Kiki nodded and pointed at their almost filled cart. 

Chandler sighed, “Alright, good girl,” He ruffled Kiki’s hair and sorted through the food items. Once putting out the unnecessary ones, he led the girls to the counter.

“Daddy ice-cweam!” Cindy tugged her daddy’s pants.

“Sorry dearie, no ice-cream,” The cashier woman smiled at the children as she billed the items.

“But there’s some in Ruby Creek, special flavors too,” The kind old woman behind them added.

Chandler bit his inner cheek, “Girls I forgot something, stay here,” He kissed their foreheads and walked off to get his husband’s Santa socks.

The girls and the old woman spoke about different flavours of ice cream till Chandler returned. Clearing his throat, he handed a red Santa's sock with a stuffing in it to the cashier.  

Five minutes later, Chandler paid for the things with his card before collecting the two bags of snacks.

“Bye Mrs Gertrude!” The girls waved at the old woman and followed their daddy to their car. 

Spotting his husband and children, Ethan opened the trunk and leaned against the car. Chandler set the things down, taking out the needed snacks and handing them to the girls.

“So…?” Ethan smirked, staring at him expectantly.

Stifling a blush, Chandler tossed the red sock at his husband’s chest, “Here.”

Glancing around and making sure their daughters were out of earshot, Ethan stood beside his husband, “That’s not what I meant,” He whispered.

Chandler rolled his eyes, “Look inside, dummy,” A red tint touched the tips of his ears.

“Oh,” Ethan grinned when he noticed the packets of condoms inside the sock, “Thanks muffin,” He kissed the side of his head and smacked his bottom.

“Shut up,” Pushing his chest, Chandler blushed and moved away to their kids.

“Daddy! I wanna pee!” Cindy whined, bouncing on her toes.

“I’ll take them,” Ethan smiled and held their daughters hands.

Chandler nodded, “I’ll be here, get them ice cream from the Ruby creek.”

“Okay,” Ethan waved at his husband before walking off with the girls.

.

Ten minutes passed, the trio had yet to return. Chandler spent his time, observing the driveway. Shaking his head, he slid inside the car and searched for his phone.

A screech of tires snared his attention from the dash board to the driveway. A shabby car with dull green paint pulled up, a few feet away from their car.

Once finding his phone, Chandler straightened up and leaned against their car. From the corner of his eyes, he noticed a man slide out of the car dressed in a black hoodie and hands stuffed in his pockets. 

Clicking his tongue in annoyance, he called his husband. A few rings later, Ethan answered, “Muffin-Drop your wallets on the floor! NOW!-Papa!” 

Chandler stilled, listening to Ethan’s breathing and their daughters’ wails, “Don’t hang up,” Flinging the car door, he scrambled through the glove box to grab two guns. Tucking one behind him, he gripped the other as he stealthily approached the red building behind the store.

Pressing himself against the wall, he stood beside the glass window and peered inside. Inside the ice-cream shop, the hoodie-man held the customers inside the shop at gun point. Ethan was at the gun point while the girls clung to each other by the end of the counter.

'That idiot,' Chandler thought with bristling anger. His nails ached and eyes glowed as he struggled to keep his anger at bay. Assessing the distance from his position to the door, he planned his surprise attack. He swiftly moved to the door with silent steps. Before he could enter the shop, a random kid noticed him at the glass door and ruined everything, "COP!"

Gritting his teeth, Chandler ducked behind the wall as the shooter fired against the glass door. Screams and grunts rattled inside the room, unleashing chaos.

Chandler rushed inside only to find his husband on top of the shooter and disfiguring him with his fist. The very scene reminded him of their time in the mafia. For some strange reason, the blood thirst in his husband's eyes aroused him, assuring him that Demetri, the skinner was still alive in his old man.

Shaking off the memories, Chandler forced his husband back and gripped his hands above his head, "Calm down!" He growled, glaring at his husband.

Ethan stilled, grinding his teeth in annoyance. Exhaling forcefully, he tugged his arms free and wrapped them around his husband before sitting up and scowling at the bleeding shooter.

"Let's leave with the girls," Chandler rose from his husband's lap and scoured the place for their daughters, "Where are the girls?"

"By the counter," Ethan jumped to his feet and joined the search.

"They're not here now," Chandler growled, standing where his girls were moments before.  

The store manager checked the camera visuals and returned to the men, “They went out with an old woman,” She showed the men the recorded clipping on her phone of the old woman and the girls slipping from the backdoor.

Nodding slightly, Chandler rushed out of the backdoor, “We can catch them,” He said as Ethan fell in step with him with the shooter’s gun in his hand.

They ran down a narrow road that led to dense forest all the while shouting their daughters names. 

The sky rumbled as the dark clouds rolled in and dulled the area around them. The air shifted, growing colder and damper as the winds picked up and blew up the fine grains of dust and leaves. Soon, droplets of cold water hit their skin, wetting the earth and releasing an addictive smell of petrichor.

“Fuck,” Chandler cursed, entering the dense forest, “Kiki! Cindy!” He yelled, wiping his forehead as the rain poured down and drenched the forest floor.

Ethan pursed his lips, “Muffin, look,” He pointed at a distant outline of a small cottage, “We could ask there,” He detoured from their current path to the direction of the cottage. 

Five minutes into their journey, they found a pink ribbon on a fallen branch. 

“That’s kiki’s!” Chandler took the ribbon, his mind whirling  with unpleasant scenarios that threatened his sanity. 

Ethan grabbed his phone and checked the signal, finally getting two bars, he accessed something on his phone.

“Stop looking at your phone!” Chandler shouted, clutching their daughter’s ribbon. 

Ethan glanced at his husband, “There are trackers on their chains,” He showed the glitchy two dots. 

“Oh…” Chandler mumbled, thanking the darkness of the forest that hid his blush. “Did Rivana ask you to do this?” He seethed as Ethan trudged forward, holding his hand. Ethan’s silence was enough to answer his question.  

 “Of all the people, you take that bitch’s idea!” Chandler bristled, tugging his hand out of his husband’s grip and stomping past him.

 “She’s the reason why I still have a medical license and we have a peaceful life,” Ethan stated in a calm tone, falling in step with his man. 

“She’s the mafia boss! A fucking sadist! What if she plotted our kids’ kidnap? Huh?” Chandler growled, glaring at his husband. 

“Yes she kills but she will never touch our girls,” Ethan stated, his jaw ticking as they neared the cottage. 

“Shut up,” Chandler growled, “You trust her more than me.”

“I never meant that!” Ethan hissed, his patience wearing thin. He knocked on the door and checked the phone, “They’re here.” 

The two dots blinked with a blue circle around them.

Leaning in, Chandler glanced at his phone and nodded slightly, “I’ll check the perimeter, you go in,” He whispered, "Something doesn't feel right."

Nodding slightly, Ethan yelped when Chandler tugged him down and pressed a firm kiss on his lips, “Don’t you fuckin’ die,” He whispered.

“Yes sir,” Ethan smirked and returned the kiss before checking the gun.  

Nodding curtly, Chandler disappeared into the darkness.

"Hello, I'm Ethan, I'm looking for my girls."

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Chandler pressed himself against the wall as he neared the first window. Taking a deep breath, he crouched down and crawled to reach under the window. Raising up, he peered inside only to find an office with a table, bookshelf and a chair. Finding no one, he moved on to the back of the cottage where he found a small circular window with a talisman paper stuck in the middle. 

As soon as his fingers grazed the talisman, a zing of electricity struck his fingers, 'Demon.'

.

With Ethan

"They're in here, Dr Hale," The old lady led him to the bedroom where the two girls slept soundly on the bed.

"Thank you for taking care of them, Mrs Gertrude," Ethan smiled, gaze focused on his girls.

"Tea?" She offered, sliding behind the man and looking over his shoulder.

"No Mam," Ethan touched Kiki's hair.

Unbeknownst to him, the woman raised a kitchen knife in the air, smiling wickedly at the man, "That's sad..."

.

‘What the he-’ A feminine screech followed by a bang of a gun pushed Chandler to break through the backdoor and rush through the dirty kitchen. From the corner of his eyes, he noticed strewn tiny fingers and limbs in the sink.

The gun went off again but this time it was followed by the scream of a man. Both the sounds originated from above, forcing him to detour from the hallway towards the stairs.

‘Ethan!’ Chandler found the bedroom door ajar. Silently, Chandler stepped inside only to be greeted by the sight of his husband wrestling a dark shadowy figure. Heavy violet fumes and thick demonic aura filled the room as the demon hovered over his husband with its fangs bared at his neck.

Letting out a menacing growl, Chandler tackled the demon to the floor. Lines of black ink spread over his face and neck as his fangs grew and claws extended.

A stronger demonic aura emanated from Chandler forcing the demon to shrink. Maddened by the rush of demonic blood, Chandler tore its head from its neck and sliced its body into tatters.

The scent of blood lurked in the air, driving his insanity. Chandler rose from the pool of black cold blood and pinned Ethan with a malicious smile. Red dots danced in his vision as his mind oscillated between madness and sanity. 

“Chandler,” Ethan stepped sideways, nearing their kids, "Kill me but let me get them to safety."

“NO!” Letting out a deep guttural growl, Chandler charged towards Ethan with his claws in the air. 

In a blink of an eye, Ethan shielded the girls with his body. Closing his eyes, he braced for sinking of claws and tearing of his skin. But to his surprise, a warm body embraced him and pressed a kiss on his nape. 

“Relax,” Chandler’s deep soothing voice returned.

“Fuckin hell, Chandler, I almost shit my pants,” Ethan growled, straightening up and glaring at his smug husband. The dark demonic aura faded and the yellow demonic eyes returned to their normal black colour. 

Chandler grinned, baring his slightly sharp fangs, “Aww, the big strong Demetri is scared of a wittle half-demon!” He used his baby voice and poked his husband's chest.

Growling slowly, Ethan tugged his husband's hand and kissed him harshly. 

Chuckling softly, Chandler gripped his shirt and kissed him hard, “Scaredy cat,” He moaned again, pushing him to bed and straddling his lap.

“Shut up,” With one last peck, Ethan pulled away and glanced at their daughters. “We need to get out of here,”  He stated, the stench of rotting body made him nauseous.

Nodding slightly, Chandler got off his lap and picked up Cindy as Ethan picked up Kiki, “So home, old man?” Chandler glanced at his man with a smirk.

“Nope, our ranch,” Ethan grinned and winked at his man.

Chandler’s smirk dropped, “Ugh. You're unbelievable!"

With one last glance at the decaying corpse, the couple walked out of the cottage with their kids in their arms all the while arguing about a ranch.

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The demon carcass liquefied and slithered into the creases of the wood. The whole cottage glowed before shattering into millions of fireflies. In the midst of the light, stood a shadowy figure clasping their hands and bowing their head in the direction of the couple. 

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THANKS FOR READING!!!