Recent content by Ryan Marshall

Ryan hadn't thought there was much Eric could say to him that he hadn't already said to himself, but he was very quickly proven wrong. The words felt like a knife to the chest and he crumpled slightly, putting his head in his hands. He... he loved his kids, he did, but there was no right way...

Ryan felt his shoulders pull in more, glancing at Eric for just a moment before he realised the young man was crying, looking away fast. If there was one thing Ryan could be sure about when it came to Eric, it was that he did not want to be seen crying. "Eric, I'm just.... trying to do what's...

Ryan's heart leaped into his throat, curling around his esophagus, gripping hard as he tried to force the words out. "You - I don't want you to pay me..." He said weakly, scrambling for the right thing to say. Somewhere out there was a good version of him. A brave one, a man who did right by...

Ryan hadn't expected such an aggressive reaction from Eric, and he couldn't keep the shock off his face as the young man spoke. "It wasn't your fault." He said shakily as the young man went quiet. "It really wasn't anything to do with you. I was young, I didn't know how to be a father." He...

Ryan had never heard his oldest son talk for so long all at once, and his heart sank deeper and deeper as Eric went on. The, "No," that came out was almost instinctual, spoken before he had thought it. "I didn't leave because of you Eric, I never..." His hands twisted uncomfortably as he...

Whatever Ryan thought this visit might be about, it all twisted at once. "Oh." He said slowly, processing the information. "I didn't.... ask him to do any of that. I didn't know." He explained, trying to figure out what was happening.

Even after having been reaquainted for a couple of years, Eric still felt to Ryan as though he belonged to another life altogether. It was one thing to see your past out in the wild, and another entirely to watch it settling into the home of your new life. But... here he was. Ryan nodded as...

Ryan closed the door behind Eric, taken aback for a moment by how strange this was. A couple of years ago, he had never expected to see his oldest son again. And now here he was, a man - a man who hated him, standing in his home. Visiting his old life hadn't felt nearly as strange as having...

Ryan raised an eyebrow as Eric mocked him, wondering for a moment if this was actually Holden in disguise. They sounded, and looked, so similar. Whatever changes he had tried to make to his life, they all seemed to catch up to him in the end. He considered saying no when Eric asked to come in...

The start of the school year had been perhaps the biggest relief Ryan had ever experienced. He wasn't delusional - he knew he wasn't going to be in line for any Father Of The Year awards any time soon. After the last exhausting, painful few years, the fact that there weren't any grieving...

Ryan didn't know where Eric had gotten his ability to get under people's skin, but he was good at it, and it made him a nightmare to talk with. He was struggling to find a way to argue back when Connor thankfully interrupted, and he shot the younger man the most grateful smile he could...

Ryan had never expected to see Melanie or his older kids again, but with Heather gone and noone to look after Penny or Holden but him, it had turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Holden had been a handful since losing his mother, and he had only gotten worse without Penny around. He had...

Ryan gave a soft sigh when there weren't any further protests, offering Melanie a small smile. "I'll be back in an hour." He promised, apparating away before she could say anything else.

Ryan's shoulder sagged with relief as Mel agreed to take the kids, his thoughts already turning to the next task at hand; the reading. He was gearing up to thank her and take his lead when Penelope spoke, and he winced slightly at the realisation that his job here wasn't done yet. "I know...