the ol' ball and chain.

Otto wanted her choice back, because Earth fucking sucked.

One may think that after getting shot, having someone cuting your stomach open, stitcing your liver shut, and stealing one of your kidneys doctors might leave you alone for a second. But no, they get you up and walking way too quickly (in her opinion,) the same thing happened after she gave birth, she'd wrongly assumed they'd give you you day to sort yourself out.

The day after she woke up a nurse who was by all accounts a lovely woman had the job of getting her up, deciding she'd had enough rest.

While trying to get up with the help of the nurse Otto made countless disapproving sentences, and as soon as Otto even looked like she was in the slightest bit of pain JJ started questioning things.

Did they need to do this?

Could it wait?

She just got shot, surely she should still be in bed?

She was in pain, could they not give her more pain killers?

"JJ, please shut up." She said, whilst holding the hands of the nurse who was probably doing all the work in keeping her upright.

Over the next five days she built up her strength enough to walk for a little while, she wasn't running a marathon anytime soon but it was far enough that she would be able to get around the flat mostly.

The day they got home Otto essentially slept the entire day, she hated the hospital for many valid reasons so sleeping in her own bed was wonderful and she finally got a full night's rest.

Once again, she was band from even looking at a nappy, he had essentially made his own law that she wasn't allowed to do anything other than hold and feed him.

He was absolutely terrified she might fall over, or get sick, he just couldn't let that happen.

The Pogue's came round a few times after she got shot, often hanging out for a few hours before going home. They too seemed terrified that is they moved too quickly or made a sudden noise she'd instantaneously die, it made her roll her eyes.

"Fucking hell, I may be a little broken but I'm not on death's door amymore, I'm back in the land of the living. Start acting like it."

It took JJ a good few weeks before he finally realised Otto wasn't going anywhere. That she was going to be okay.

Before that sunk in he'd stay up for hours anxiously watching her chest, making sure it still rose and fell, watching her face twitch as she slept. If she was still a little too long he'd do something little that stirred her a little without completely waking her up; like brushing her hair from her face or pulling the sheets up. He still felt like she was as the doctor put in 'far from out of the woods,' that at any second her heart would stop and that would be it.

JJ couldn't live without her, she was completely changed his life, she changed every single aspect of him. She changed stuff he never thought possible.

She also told him what to do, and it was always better than his plan so he followed along happily. So he'd be pretty fucked in that aspect.

One morning after she got a particularly good night's sleep she woke up as JJ was walking out the bathroom after taking a piss.

"I love you."

It hadn't slipped out, she meant to say it. She meant it with every fibre of her being, she finally figured it out. She realised while she was laying in the Twinkie after getting shot, looking up at JJ that she loved him.

But life was busy so she hadn't got round to saying it.

"Sorry, what was that? Can you repeat it." His face said it all, he was happy, but on his was was shiteating grin.

"Go fuck yourself."

While he told her all the time, slipping it in at every chance he got she didnt do that, it wasn't the way she worked. She said it at very odd, strange times. He'd be in the shower while she brushed her teeth and she'd shout it, or she'd wake him up during the night and tell him before promptly falling back asleep.

It was sporadic but that made sense, it was very much Otto.

After Otto's first birthday, there was a small party, he got a few presents although Otto decided not to get him any considering he's a year old, has no clue what a birthday is and can't comprehend a present. They sat at the counter, he was tucking into some cake for dinner, she sat next to him, picking off the icing to give to him. She actually did not like icing.

"Wanna get married?"

It was very out of character, and strange for their relationship that had never actually been acknowledged in anyway.

"No."

"Fair enough."

She didn't really care, she just continued picking off the icing, he disappeared and came back a few seconds later and sat a small box on the counter and slide it over to her.

"The fuck is this."

"The idea is you open it and find out, love."

She did and sat inside was a very simple ring, nothing over the top, or even anything that people would recognise as an engagement ring.

"Was gonna ask you at some point, didn't think you'd beat me to the chase."

"I beat you in most things."

"That's unnecessary." He said whilst eating icing.

The day after Wes got sentenced, just a few weeks after Freddie's first birthday the duo were planning on going down to the courthouse but decided they should probably let people know. Otto was wearing her nicest pair of jeans and a t-shirt that didn't have a single stain on it. It wasn't just her who dressed for the oh-so-special occasion, JJ pulled out a pair of trousers that didn't have a hole in and a button up top that was more than half way buttoned.

They were dressed to impress.

It was the day Laura usually took Freddie for the day and they planned it so they could go get it done and be back by that night, they weren't really going to tell anybody, there wasn't a need to. In fact they didn't really plan on telling anyone, they weren't entirely sure why they were doing it, maybe just to trap the other person to them so they couldn't slip away because neither of them would cope with that.

But Larua would be heartbroken to know she missed her only child's wedding.

And then the Pogue's would've been pissed they weren't invited, so to save the hassle they just invited them all.

They rocked up, got married then they all went to Laura's she decided to make a roast to celebrate.

They got married mostly to get married and not for the title, they wouldn't refer to each other as their husband of wife, they'd still be a strange relationship, just with the added pizazz of a legal document.

It also wasn't a complete spur of the moment thing neither of them paid mind to, they had both been thinking about it. They both liked the idea, just because they were legally married it didn't mean they suddenly have to conform to every societal norm, they could still do what they wanted.

Most of them time Otto friendzoned JJ, which she kept doing because it annoyed him.

"Thanks, bud." She slapped him on the back with a grateful smile as she jumped on the freshly changed sheets.

"Tillie I swear if you do that one more time," He glared at her, pointing with a ringed finger as he threw a pillow on the bed a little too hard directed at her.

"Whatcha gonna do buddy boy," she caught the pillow easily and pulled it to her chest, hugging it close.

He walked to the wardrobe, went straight to her drawer that she kept her favourite shirt to sleep in.

"Stop, J, leave it alone," she tried to sound stern but he'd known her too long to ignore her sternness.

He picked it up and turned around.

"What am I to you." He asked, an eye row raised, he really thought he'd gotten the upper hand.

"A very good friend." She sat up, putting the cushion beside her

He began to walk to the kitchen, she followed. Freddie was having a nap in the spare room that was now his bedroom, he still slept in their bedroom but spent a lot of the day in his own room.

"Wrong answer." He shook his head.

"A very good, special friend, that I share a kid with."

He pulled open a drawer and pulled out some scissors.

"You know what I want to hear, just say it and there won't have to be any bloodshed."

"I know you won't cut it."

He stared, opening the blades and touching them to the soft well-worn fabric.

"Do it. I dare you." She egged him on.

"This is your last chance."

"You're just a friend J."

"Just say it."

"You're not going to do it, we both know it."

"I'll do it."

"If you were going to do it you'd have done it by now." She extended her hand, wanting the shirt back.

"You're so annoying." He dumped it in her hand and she winked at him.

"Good choice, bud."

Two years flew past, Freddie was a toddler, and on Otto's twentieth birthday they got the gold. They'd been working on retrieving it since the verdict for Wes, and it took a while but they finally got it.

They all hung out at the Chateau, Freddie was busy swimming with Sarah and Kie so they hung out of the porch, Otto in the hammock and instead of pushing her JJ was sitting beside her.

"So, that's Freddie's college fund sorted."

"We really set the right path for him to pay attention and stick to studying." JJ joked.

"I applied to college, didn't think I'd get in, but turns out I did."

He looked at her shocked, "You didn't mention that."

"I didn't think I'd get in"

"Seems like quite an important thing to at least briefly mention, in passing at least."

"I always did want to go to college."

"Where is the college? I really don't want to move anywhere too far from a beach."

"It's online, it'd break your heart to leave, plus my mum lives here. I probably won't ever use the qualification but it's something to work toward."

"What did you get im for."

"Law."

"How the fuck did you get in for law."

"I did well at my exams."

"You were like super fucking pregnant and barely moved."

"Barely moving is ideal for studying."

"Stop fucking with me, did you even get into college."

"I got in for law, JJ, it's offensive that you are so shocked that I'm not completely stupid."

"I know you aren't stupid but I didn't realise you were like really smart."

"I strive to surprise."

"Don't think we'll have enough to fund a law degree, though, those cost a lot."

"Thankfully I'm a trustfund baby."

"You actually have a trust fund."

"Sure do."

"That's some rich people shit."

"JJ you're a multimillionaire, you are a rich person."

"We're multimillionaires, we share a bank account and are bound together legally. You seem to forget that frequently."

"Trust me, I remember the ball and chain strapped to my ankle often."

"I love you."

"As you should,"

She leant her head against his shoulder, shutting her eyes and enjoying the warm sun.

"You're not so bad yourself." She meant it, with all her heart.