Forever? Forever.

I was woken up by soft, timid poking on my arm as I laid on my bed with my pillow covering my head. Grumbling some I tucked my arm closer to my body, thinking it was probably Majesty making her way into the room. A second past until I felt more poking on my arm, this time a bit more harder than before. Giving out an annoyed, tired sigh I lifted my pillow off of my head and raised on my other arm some, ready to scold my dog but stopped once I saw Eliana standing there. She stood in nothing more than one of my old t-shirts she insisted on wearing to bed, her pull-up and her teddy bear hugged tightly to her chest. Her usually straight hair sticking in every direction due to sleep.

A smile spread across my face as I sat up in my bed, resting my back against the headboard. Eliana walked closer to the edge of the bed and placed her teddy bear on my lap before attempting to climb up her own self, trying to prove that she was a big girl. But just like Nebraska, my baby girl was a bit on the short side and my bed was a tad bit taller than she was. After watching for what seemed like a good ten minutes of my daughter trying to pull herself up in my bed, I decided to help her up. I reached over and placed my hands underneath her arms and lifted her up carefully before placing her on my lap, wrapping my arms around her when she buried her face into my chest. I kissed the top her head, chuckling when a little giggle escaped her lips.

"What're you doing up so early?" I asked her with a smile on my face, running my fingers through her tangled hair gently.

"I'm hungry," Eliana replied simply, a cute smile on her face. I was really wondering why she was hungry so early in the morning. I turned around to look at the clock on the night table beside my bed, seeing the red numbers saying 11:00 in the morning.

"Well, I guess it isn't early," I chuckled more to myself before picking my daughter up and getting the both of us out of bed. Eliana wrapped her arms around my neck, and rested her head on my shoulder. "What would my Ellie-Bug like to eat, huh?"

"Ice cream."

I chuckled. "Try again, baby girl."

"Pancakes, daddy!"

"I think I might like pancakes, too," I walked the both of down the stairs into the kitchen, and placed Eliana in her small booster seat at the kitchen table. I kissed the top of her head before making my way over to the stove. "Pancakes coming up, Ellie-Bug."

I shortly started making breakfast for me and my girl, talking to Eliana every now and again, and listening to her chattering away. I remember when she was very little and it was hard to get her to say two words, now you can hardly get her to be quiet. Not that I'm complaining though.

While cooking our breakfast I made sure to becareful and watch to make sure I didn't burn them. Nebraska always laughed at how I was cooking. I'd either halfway make something or I'd burn it all. To say the least when we were together and I decided to be romantic and cook, we normally ended up having to have takeout food because I ruined everything. In the start of our relationship she'd eat all the burnt up shit like it tasted good, but after awhile I refused to let her do it. And we both agreed takeout was better than forcing one another to eat anything burnt.

Once I was finally done with the pancakes, mentally patting myself on the back for a job well done. I put two pancakes on both of our plates, and cut Eliana's up for her before placing both plates on the table. You know, she was always happy when it came to pancakes. Well, sweets in general. I literally blame Jimmy and Short Shit for that. Mostly Johnny because anytime I bring Eliana to the studio the fucker has a candy bar waiting for her. Today shouldn't be any different.

"Daddy," Eliana said after a few minutes of eating breakfast, having me look up at her. She was looking at me with a wide smile, looking just like a mini version of Nebraska. She tilted her head to the side some, instantly letting me know she wanted something. "Can we go see Uncle Jimmy?"

I smiled some. Since Jimmy passed away Nebraksa and I have taken Eliana to visit Jimmy's grave so she could "talk" to him. It always amazed me. She was still a baby when she passed away, but thanks to some of the pictures and stories we told her about her crazy uncle, she felt like she knew him all her three years of living. "Sure, baby girl," I agreed while nodding my head. "We can go visit Uncle Jimmy."

Her smile never left her face, and she soon began eating her breakfast once more. I just sat there and smiled, thinking about a time when she was little and everything was the way it should be.

"Say Uncle Jimmy, Ellie-Belly," Jimmy encouraged while laying in the floor with a six month old Eliana. My daughter laid on her stomach, seeing how it was tummy time for her, looking at her favorite uncle(as I predicted a long time ago) with wide, intrested and slightly confused green eyes. Her mouth opened slightly, and baby drool was coming out onto her bib. Jimmy had a wide smile on his face, leaning forward some to press his forehead to Eliana's. "Come on, baby, I know you can do it."

"Jimmy she's six months old, she can't talk yet," I laughed while rolling my eyes, leaning on the back of the couch, looking at the scene before me. Matt, Johnny and Brian were in the kitchen, where they were arguing about how to fix the sink. Nebraska and I were remodling a few things in the house, and the guys wanted to help out. My lovely grilfriend, Michelle, Val, Lace and Leana were out doing some girl time. Jimmy looked at me over his shoulder, glaring some with a pout on his face. I laughed once more and shook my head. "About the only thing you'll get is drool, gurgles and more drool."

Jimmy scoffed before turning his attention back to my daughter, who seemed to be taking an interest in her uncle's colorful arm. Teething wasn't something to joke around with, but when your child turns into a human zombie it sort of was.

"Unlike you, Zee, I have faith in this child." I rolled my eyes at that comment. "Come on, my little zombie, say Uncle Jimmy. Show daddy you can do it."

"If you don't spoil her, I don't know who does." I commented while turning my back to head back into the kitchen. Jimmy had a remark after that, but I shrugged it off not really paying him much attention. The minute I stepped back into the kitchen, I happened to notice Matt sitting on Johnny's back, seeing the shorter man struggle to get up. At any other time this would be hilarious to me, but seeing how I wasn't in to catch on, I was one confused guy. I looked over at Brian with an eyebrow raised. "Do I even want to know what the hell they're doing?"

Brian shrugged before placing his hands into his basketball short pockets. "Nah, not really," he answered me before looking at me, turning his head slightly to the direction of the living room. "What's Jimbo in there yelling about?"

"He's trying to get Ellie to say his name," I answered simply, shrugging my shoulders some. "Only thing he's getting though his her chewing on his arm."

"Zombie baby," Matt remarked while finally getting off of Johnny, allowing the short shit to catch his breath. He chuckled some while placing his hands on his hips. "Jimmy should know she'll say my name first. I am the favorite after all."

I raised an eyebrow once more. "I'm her dad, Shadz. I should be the first name she says."

"She'll say Uncle Bri first," Brian chimed in, a shit eating smirk on his face. Sometimes he was too cocky for his own good. "She loves me."

"No," Johnny remarked sternly while getting to his feet, pointing to each of us before pointing to himself. "She'll say Uncle Johnny first, and that's it."

"I don't think so guys," the familiar voice of Nebraska sounded behind me, having me jump some before all four of us looked to see her standing in the threshold of the kitchen, leaning on one of the frames with her arms over her chest. A smirk on her face. "You all maybe her favorite, but I was in labor with her and gave birth to her. So, if anyone is to be her first word, it'll be me."

"You're no fun, babe," I mused towards my girlfriend, causing those perfect blue eyes of hers to roll. "Why're you back so soon, huh?"

"We all got bored," Nebraska shrugged. Normally they would be gone forever, but ever since we've had Eliana Nebraska got bored easily, and oddly enough so did every other Sevenfold women. "And plus, Leana threatened to tear my arm off if we didn't come back so she could spoil Ellie."

I laughed. "I think Jimmy beat her to it."

"Oh, I know. They're both in there now laying in front of her, trying to get her to say either one of their names. And I swear, Lacey and Michelle are betting to see who wins."

Nebraska rolled her eyes and made her way back into the living room, leaving me and the dumbasses to fix the sink once more.

Those types of memories are what I still live for, and mainly memories are all I have. Happy times when everything felt right and things were the way they should have been.

Do I still regret allowing Nebraska to end everything between us? Yes, yes I do. But I understood her reasons behind it. After Jimmy died everything just went downhill from there. For all of us. My girlfriend lost her best friend, the guy who was always there from the very first moment she arrived to Huntington Beach and started attending the high school. And me and the guys lost our brother. The crazy fucker who always kept us laughing, always made everything seem less real than it should have been. The voice of fucking reason behind all of us.

And because of all of that, my relationship with the perfect girl ended. We kept fighting, it was never peaceful at the house. Seeing and hearing your parents scream at each other, and argue all the time wasn't how a small baby needed to grow up. It hurt when Nebraksa said she wanted to leave, it did. But I understood everything. Ellie came first for both of us. And having her around with us fighting like cats and dogs wasn't the answer, that and I knew both of them were tired of never seeing me.

I love Meaghan, don't get me wrong. She's a nice girl, makes me laugh and we've been friends since she started modeling for VU. It makes the relationship easier. Of course, we fight here and there. All couples do. But for some reason with me this relationship was much different what Nebraska and I had. And I guess it would always be.

Once Eliana and I were done eating breakfast I washed the few dishes I messed up before we both got dressed and ready for the day. And after placing her inside the car and buckling her inside her carseat, we were off to pay Uncle Jimmy a visit.

+


"And then Uncle Bear tackled daddy to the ground," Eliana rambled on, sitting down in front of Jimmy's grave with a smile on her face, re-telling how much her loving Uncle Bear tackled me to the ground. The bastard snuck up behind me and didn't give me a chance to dodge him. She giggled cutely before continuing. "And mommy cheered for Uncle Bear, and daddy chased her around because of that."

That was true, too. I did chase Nebraska around the Sanders' backyard to get her back for laughing at my short comings. Which earned a laugh from everything at the cookout. I never caught her. She maybe shorter than all of us, but she surely made up for her height with speed. No wonder she was the coach's favorite on the track team.

Eliana ran a little chubby finger across the saying underneath Jimmy's name, a smile still on her face. It was always a little habit of hers. Everytime we came to visit Jimmy she always traced his name, the dates and the small saying underneath everything. I would read it to her every now and again, but since we've done this so many times when we visisted, she was able to say everything now.

"Daddy, what does it mean?" Eliana asked while tracing the saying once more, her head titled in confusion. Her brow was furrowed some. Well, that was new. She never asked about the saying, she just liked tracing it and reading it to me or her mom.

"It means Uncle Jimmy was one of a kind," I answered her, trying to put it into the most simpliest ways a three-year-old could understand. "He wasn't like everyone else."

"Oh, did we spend a lot of time together?"

I smiled and crouched down beside her, pulling her into my arms, resting my chin on top of her little head. "Yes," I replied softly. "Me and mommy always tells you that, baby. Uncle Jimmy simply loved you. He always tried kidnapping you and everything."

Eliana gasped some, turning to look at me. "But isn't kidnapping bad?"

"Yes, it is very bad," I nodded my head, but laughing some when I saw confusion on her face. "But it was Uncle Jimmy. His kidnapping meant taking you to his house or the park for what he called Ellie-Belly time."

"Oh," Eliana replied giggling before wrapping her arms around my neck, and I carefully lifted her onto my hip the minute I stood back up. She rested her head on my shoulder, looking down at the grave once more. "I'll see you soon, Uncle Jimmy."

"Yeah, we'll visit him again soon," I smiled while kissing her head before looking at my friend's grave once again. "See ya around, Jimbo."

Eliana waved to the grave before I turned us both around to head back to the car. After getting a quick bite to eat we'd have to head to the studio. And after the studio, daddy Vengeance is getting himself a new phone. Maybe one that doesn't break or gets water logged too easily.

A man can only dream.

Notes

I'm glad you all are seeming to like the story so far, and so I thought about doing a double post this time :)

Until next time everyone, stay lovely all of you ^_^