Welcome to Hickstead, home to both Seven Oak Stables, and Blue Acre - two rival stables. Both offer opportunities for their clients to reach the highest level of excellence. Each stable differs from the other, so choose wisely and never forget, loyalty is everything... Meanwhile as the stables battle it out, there's trouble brewing at the university. Be careful, if you don't pick a side you may get caught in the cross-fire...
This is an chilled out rpg with a super friendly and relaxed atmosphere! Remember to sign up with your characters full name in all caps and don't forget to do your claims! Thank you and Welcome, we've been established since 10th March 2009 but unfortunately have had to close guest view of our boards due to multiple sites ripping off our hard work, such a shame! Come chat to us in Discord before joining if you like!.
was she dreading maternity leave? not really. she knew that the garage was in safe hands with the staff she had. she knew she could trust them, they were a good crew. even the young ones that people had tried to warn her against hiring, they did their work and they didn't cause trouble. what else could she ask for? she'd asked elle to be in charge while she was gone but she could only do that because she knew that kasey would be there for her the way that he was for her. she didn't need him to do her job, she could do her job as well as any mechanic in the country. but when she'd started this small garage people had been skeptical, men had overlooked her because she'd been a woman and were surprised when she'd done the work on their cars, some had even flat out refused to let her look at them until she'd shown them she knew what she was talking about.
as much as she was capable as the next woman, having kasey and even the young boys there was just an added sense of security when closing in the dark of the nights in winter, in the early mornings and when customers got mad that something couldn't be fixed, that they knew better or when they just didn't want to pay. she refused to be a damsel but she could appreciate a bit of muscle flexing when it was appropriate, how could she not when she was dating the man she was. she wasn't scheduled to work today but she was sticking her head in anyway, she'd just dropped her daughter off at school and the garage had been on her way home. as much as she was supposed to be taking it easy, she'd never been good at that.
she parked her car outside and climbed from the car, pausing a little to smile at a customer as they drove away, hopefully happily. grabbing her bag she headed inside, waving to the mechanic on duty and she walked towards the office. what was the harm in doing an hour or two of paperwork? she stopped when she reached the door though, because it seemed like she'd been beaten to the punch. her smile, wide when she saw kasey, widened when she saw dog coming to greet her. she'd always been an animal person, much preferring them to people most of the time. she bent down as best she could to ruffle his ears. "hi buddy, how's my boy? hey?" she said softly as she rubbed her hands over him. she lifted her gaze to kasey and kept the smile on her face. "i'm here to take over the paperwork."
TWENTY SEVEN | OWNS THE GARAGE | JASON EDWARD THORNTON DEMETER THORNTON | 7 JACOB THORNTON | 0
for the first time in what felt like forever, she felt herself relax. the tension that she'd been carrying faded from her shoulders and for the first time since she'd left in anger, she felt like she could take a proper breath. it was something, that they'd both been willing to sit down and listen to each other. they hadn't had many real fights in the past, more like battles of stubborness while trying to wear the other one down but this had been the worst, the most painful and the one she'd worried might have been enough to break them apart. because as much as she'd wanted to fix it, there had been the fear there that it wasn't able to be fixed. but the fact they both wanted the same thing? that had put her at so much ease, even if they still had to talk about the hard things.
"just know that i'll always remind you i'm here." she said softly. she couldn't imagine what it could feel like to know that there was no one there, to feel you had no one to rely on. she hated that he'd been through it and while she couldn't change it, she could be the constant shoulder for him, ready when he was ready to need it. she felt her gaze soften as he promised to try and get better at sharing with her and she couldn't ask for anything more. she just nodded softly at that, knowing that she didn't need to say anything to let him know she understood, because she did. now.
he wanted to fight. she'd been sure he would, and she couldn't fault him for it. if josh was his child, then he deserved to know about it. "she's my friend and i don't want to hurt her." she admitted to him but it wasn't the main thing and nor was it the most important thing in this situation. "but i'm on your side first. ride or die right?" she said with a small smile as she nodded a little. "i told her that if you wanted to know whether he was your son or not, that i'd support you."
TWENTY SEVEN | OWNS THE GARAGE | JASON EDWARD THORNTON DEMETER THORNTON | 7 JACOB THORNTON | 0
she hated this part. she really hated this part because she could see both sides of the argument. she could understand why ashley wanted to keep josh from needing to go through this but she could also see why jason wanted to find out. she chewed her lip a little as she turned the cup in her hands a little as she let it sink in as she'd let ashley know she'd be supporting jason if he wanted to really follow through and find out whether he was josh's father. she nodded a little as ashley said she'd fight to keep josh from finding out. "i'm sorry it all turned out like this." she said with a small sigh. she didn't know if this would ruin her friendshop with ashley or whether it would blow apart josh and dem's friendship, but she did wish it hadn't happened, that everything could have been fine and normal.
TWENTY SEVEN | OWNS THE GARAGE | JASON EDWARD THORNTON DEMETER THORNTON | 7 JACOB THORNTON | 0
she really did get caveman vibes when she pictured men having heart to hearts. just like men probably pictured pillow fights and the likes while women had their girls nights. it was funny the assumptions they all made about the opposite sex, even when sometimes they knew better. "although i think jase and arrow deserve more credit than caveman .. maybe stone age?" she said with a slight smile as she stuck her spoon into the ice cream and she pushed it away lightly, having eaten her full of the stuff, even though it seemed impossible. ice cream was one of things that most people could eat regardless. she sighed a little as she rested her elbows on the bench and she leaned her chin onto her hands, mulling over what quinn had just said. she did still love him and she missed him like nothing she'd ever missed before. "yeah but i don't understand why. i can think of a million ways i'd love to see him suffer but .. like you said, i don't want him hurting."
he was being stubborn but in his defense, so was she. she could have made the first move, she should have made the first move but she was holding out. the longer she stayed with quinn and arrow the less sense it made to stay there but there was something in her that refused to let her be the first to cave, at least not just yet. "i know he does but he didn't trust me enough with this." she said as she chewed her lip gently. "or that's what it feels like. what did he think, i'd leave him because he has a past? or a child from before we met?" she shifted slightly and couldn't hide the grimace as she felt the baby kick. "i swear this kid knows when i'm made at their dad and it's never my side they take." she said as she shifted a hand to rub the spot lightly.
TWENTY SEVEN | OWNS THE GARAGE | JASON EDWARD THORNTON DEMETER THORNTON | 7 JACOB THORNTON | 0
she saw the flicker of a smile on his face and she couldn't help the one of her own, her hand moving subconsciously to rest on her stomach gently, cradling their child that was growing within her. "my doctor might have a different opinion." she joked a little, not sure if it would help the situation but it was easier at the moment. she was sure she'd gained a kilo or two from the ice cream but she'd never regret it, it was better than trying to keep her figure at the moment, that was a problem for later, not now. "oh i can tell you it is." she said with a small smile again. it was small talk but it was progress. it was jaded and a little jarred but it was happening and they weren't trying to rip each other's throats out which she was going to call a win, at least for now. although she hoped that it wasn't going to boil down to that again, she really didn't. she wanted to come home, she knew that dem wanted to come home and she missed being together.
she was glad when he let her talk without trying to interrupt or tell his side, at least not yet. he was listening to her and that was worth more to her than anything else. they needed to communicate, to get this out in the open so they could talk and discuss rather than yell and scream at each other to have their points heard but not really listening to each other. she could see how hard it was for him, which made it mean all that much more to her. it meant he was trying, he wanted to work things out with her and even though they weren't in a great place right now it just made her love him all that little bit more.
she listened when it was her turn to and just like he had it was hard not to say anything back to him, even though she wanted to let him know that it would have been okay, she'd have handled it and helped him but it wasn't the time, not while he was getting this off his chest. there was one thing she couldn't help but do though when he finished talking to her. when he'd said what he'd needed to say. she lifted herself off the couch and she crossed to him and she rested her hand on his back gently before she sat down next to him. "i know you didn't mean to hurt me." she said softly, believing with her whole heart that he'd meant that. "i also know it's easier to separate things but we're in this for the long haul. so i just want you to remember that i'm here okay? that whatever is going on in your life, you can tell me and i'll be there. it's what a relationship is, or so i've been told." she said with a small smile. she didn't want to tell him he'd been wrong because it wasn't about that. it was about moving forward and moving forward together.
"i get that it might have felt easier to tell me after the fact. and as badly as i reacted i can't say i'd have done any different." she said as she chewed her lip. hindsight was 20/20. she'd been hurt and she'd felt like he'd kept this from her because he didn't trust her with it but the rational part of her brain had told her that had been wrong. but the raging hormonal part of her brain had been stronger than any other part. "i'm sorry i flew off the handle. i'm sorry i left without talking to you about it." she said softly as she looked at him, wanting nothing more than for him to wrap his arms around her in that moment but she wasn't sure he was ready for that yet. there was still a lot for them to sort out and talk about. "you need to know that whatever you want to do, i'm here for you. if you want to find out, we'll fight to find out."
TWENTY SEVEN | OWNS THE GARAGE | JASON EDWARD THORNTON DEMETER THORNTON | 7 JACOB THORNTON | 0
she didn't know how their kids could be as well adjusted as they seemed to be. the world around them wasn't what she'd call a good one and the situations they'd been through were enough to break hearts but still they pressed on, the smiles on their little faces enough to make heidi want to fight the world to keep it on dem's face. she knew she'd been the cause of the stress and worry dem had been feeling over the last few days and the thought made her sick to her stomach but it had been what had needed to happen, at least she thought so. it had been better to bring her here, to somewhere she knew was happy, where she was loved and she wouldn't have to listen to hours of her parents screaming at each other, fighting because they were both too stubborn to give in, the words turning toxic because it was easier than forgiving each other in the heat of the moment. she wouldn't apologize of trying to shelter her from that, but she couldn't exactly explain it to her either.
she kept her gaze on the ice cream in her hand as quinn answered her, the slight shake in her hand hidden by the fact she dug the spoon she was holding down into the ice cream container once more, though she was slowly losing the will to eat her weight in the icy cold food. "why do i picture grunting and wooden clubs." she said as she tried to joke about it but there was a hint of sadness to her voice. and then quinn said he was wallowing. that should have filled her with joy, that he was missing her, happy that he was suffering without her the same way she was suffering without him there. but it didn't. it just made her feel more guilty because she was the reason. "i should be happy about that but.." she said with a small sigh as she set the ice cream down on the counter.
TWENTY SEVEN | OWNS THE GARAGE | JASON EDWARD THORNTON DEMETER THORNTON | 7 JACOB THORNTON | 0
she had to admit that she felt some relief that it hadn't been a whole lot worse. sure it wasn't a great situation but it hadn't been a one sided affair, at least not to her. maybe jason hadn't acted the best and hadn't made some of the best choices throughout but she wasn't going to judge him for them. she wasn't going to judge ashley either, or damon. it just was what it was. she didn't have a perfect past and there were some things she wished she could change but she was slowly growing okay with who she was now and what she'd done in the past, if she changed any of that she wouldn't have the life she did now. all roads had led her to here whether they'd been good or bad.
she wasn't going to comment on whether what ashley said was true or not, about jason only going after her to spite damon. she hadn't been there and while she knew that jason was sharp and could at times be selfish, she couldn't believe that he'd done it to hurt his brother on ashley's word alone. but she wasn't here to judge or speculate, she was just here for ashley's side of the truth. she took another sip of the water as she asked if she had any questions and she shook her head slightly. "no, no questions. at least none that i can think of." she said honestly. she was curious about some things but, sometimes it was easier to let sleeping dogs lie. "but i do have to be honest with you. you said you didn't want to find out who the father was?" she chewed her lip a little before she pressed on. "i'm not going to try and talk jason out of trying to find out if he wants to." she needed that to be clear, if jason wanted to find out if josh was his, she'd be 100% behind him. if he wanted her there.
TWENTY SEVEN | OWNS THE GARAGE | JASON EDWARD THORNTON DEMETER THORNTON | 7 JACOB THORNTON | 0
she took the cup as it was offered to her and she wrapped her hands around it. her hands had long since stopped feeling the burn from things that were painfully hot to the touch. the amount of times she'd touched the wrong thing, brushed her fingers against a hot part under the hood of a car or just stripped them of all feeling trying to get lids off bottles of engine oil. but she felt the warmth through the cup and it was comforting to her in the moment. she had to agree, alcohol would only make this situation so much worse. oh it might help to start with, loosen them up, help them relax but it would let them skate over the problem, to let their tongues fly quicker and add further fuel to the already hot fire between them. so this was very much a tea conversation, at least for now. she was glad he said he'd been okay, she didn't quite believe him though. if he was anything like she was he'd been miserable but she wouldn't push the point, it wasn't why she was here.
"i've taken the whole eating for two saying a little too literal." she said as she took a sip of the hot liquid from her cup. "i think i've eaten enough ben and jerry's for a lifetime." she said with a small smile as she looked across the kitchen at him. it was that very conversation with quinn that had given her the courage to come over to see him today, to talk through what their problem was rather than just let the two of them pull apart from each other because it was the easier option. she nodded when he asked if they should go sit down and she walked from the kitchen to the living room, settling herself into her favourite spot without thinking too much about it. it was still her home after all, even if she didn't feel like it at the moment. "so i'll just .. start i guess?" she said as she chewed her lip. they could sit here and do small talk till the cows came home but it wouldn't solve anything and it wouldn't bring her family back together.
"i spoke to ashley." she told him, wanting to be totally honest with him. she'd gone to her friend so she could get the whole story, even though to her it was still going to be very much a he said she said situation, but she trusted jason to tell her the truth now she was asking him about it. "she told me her side of the whole thing, that you guys had some sort of relationship but she chose damon." she wouldn't delve too far into it if jason didn't want to. that wasn't the part that had hurt her, it was the part where he'd lied to her about thinking he had a son. "i don't care about that though, i don't care about your past jase." she said softly as she leaned forward to sit the cup down on the table in front of the lounge. "i care that you hid the fact you think josh is your son. did you think i wouldn't understand?" she asked him, the only feeling in her voice was questioning, she wasn't here to start an argument. she was here to understand.
TWENTY SEVEN | OWNS THE GARAGE | JASON EDWARD THORNTON DEMETER THORNTON | 7 JACOB THORNTON | 0
she had to admit she had ice cream stashed at home for when she was in these situations there. there was always a pint of choc mint in the back of the freezer for this very reason. it was kept secret from jason because there was an empty old vegetable bag wrapped around it to keep it hidden so it was always there if she needed it. with jason and dem in the house she needed to get creative when it came to keeping the foods she wanted to herself hidden. "great minds think alike." she said with a smile as she set the lid back on the kids ice cream so they would have the leftovers for tomorrow if they wanted them.
the second she tasted the ben and jerry's she could have moaned in pleasure but she stopped herself and just took a second bite, savouring it as it hit the spot she needed hitting. this she would replace for quinn before they went back home. she didn't want to think about where she'd need to go if her and jase couldn't work this issue out. she knew they loved each other but there were some things love couldn't overcome. but that was a bridge she would cross if she had to, it wasn't one she was going to plan for just in case. she didn't even want to put that out into the universe.
"he really is." she hoped it wouldn't change as the boy grew up. the world needed more sweethearts in it. the men like jason and arrow were just as good, but they weren't exactly what one could call a sweetheart, a soft touch or gentle. "i wouldn't have believed it if i didn't know him." she said with a smile as she took another spoon of the cream into her mouth, feeling the baby shift slightly and wondering if it liked it as much as she did. "has he talked to jason?" she asked as casually as she could, trying to work out if quinn had any inside knowledge on her partner.
TWENTY SEVEN | OWNS THE GARAGE | JASON EDWARD THORNTON DEMETER THORNTON | 7 JACOB THORNTON | 0
she saw his expression soften and she felt the tension in her own shoulders relax a little. anyone looking at them would probably think they were about to face off but they both probably knew a little better. his face hadn't changed much but she noticed the ways it had. the corners of his eyes weren't as hard as they had been, his mouth hadn't been set tightly and his jaw had loosened just a little and it had been enough for her to see it. that's how well she knew the face of the man in front of her, that no matter what she could almost always tell what he was feeling. although there had been this disconnect between them the last few days and there was this worry that it might break them further than they could piece it back together but the fact he hadn't slammed the door in her face and he'd invited her in meant, to her at least that meant that he was willing to talk to her.
"just tea please." she said as she stepped over the threshold, feeling at home instantly as she did. she let out a soft breath and put her bag down on the table in the hall as she always did when she walked through the door because she was notorious for losing her keys so she'd made herself learn the habit and at least the break hadn't ruined it. "whiskey would be great but i think it's frowned upon." she smiled a little as she leaned her shoulder against the doorway to the kitchen, watching him with the kettle. "this might be a stupid question but, how are you?"
TWENTY SEVEN | OWNS THE GARAGE | JASON EDWARD THORNTON DEMETER THORNTON | 7 JACOB THORNTON | 0
it felt like forever between the knock on the door and the turning of the handle. it would have been her perfect chance to run, to get the hell out of there and to take what felt like the much easier way out. this was going to be a difficult conversation no matter which way it turned, whether she and jason kept it civil or whether they blew up at each other and it turned into a screaming match between them. either way was just as hard as each other and she wasn't looking forward to getting down to the crux of their issues because she knew that it might take a little while to get there. she ran her hand through her hair, having left it loose because it's how it had felt the most comfortable this morning while she'd been getting ready, smoothing the the hair after she had done that. as soon as the knob started turning she took a deep breath, ready to see the man she loved, the man she'd run from days ago and the man she wanted so desperately to see.
and then there he was, standing there in the open doorway of the apartment they had shared for years now. standing in the doorway of the home they'd built before they'd both even realized they'd been doing it. it had been the little things that had made it a home, such as the memories that they had together like both bending under the sink to see what pipe had burst at two in the morning, making coffee for each other in the mornings when they were both too grouchy to ask for it, family meals of pizza shared on the couch in front of movies that both her and jason thought were silly but were willing to watch them because they made dem laugh, dem creeping into their bed in the middle of the night and them both making the space for her to sleep without a word to each other. that's what made it her home and right now she was missing one of the very things that meant she wasn't there.
they both seemed to hesitate when he opened the door and while she couldn't be sure what his reason was, hers was that he might not accept the apology. they both had a stubbornness in them that in the past had been willing to let people go rather than admit their own wrongdoings but she wanted this to be different. she was there to apologize for her part and to see if he wanted to talk to her. to let her come home where they all belonged together and she was terrified that he'd say no. when he asked if she wanted to come in it was like something snapped in her spine and the tension she'd been holding onto just left her and her shoulders sagged slightly in relief as she leapt forward and she threw her arms around his neck tightly, having needed the contact with him in that very moment, even though she couldn't help saying "well i didn't come here to stand in the doorway." she said, a little choked up but trying to sound as normal as she possibly could.
TWENTY SEVEN | OWNS THE GARAGE | JASON EDWARD THORNTON DEMETER THORNTON | 7 JACOB THORNTON | 0
why did it always hurt when people made sense. after her talk with quinn heidi's head had cleared a little. she didn't know if it had been the pints of ice cream they'd eaten or the conversation they'd had but something in heidi had softened that night and when she'd woken up in the morning she'd decided that she needed to go talk to jason. they needed to work this out. she missed him so much it was painful, dem missed her and she didn't want this to go on any longer. she wanted to be home, in his arms so he could hold her whenever she asked him to. she'd missed waking up to him, going to sleep next to him and she'd even missed that familiar snore he had. so she'd left dem with quinn and arrow for the day and she'd made the short drive to the apartment block.
she should have texted him, called or at least let him know that she was coming over in some way but she'd been worried that she'd chicken out when he'd answered her. she wasn't sure what had changed in her mind but she felt guilty about the way she'd up and left but she couldn't blame it on anything but her own feelings. she'd tried to blame hormones but it was hurt plain and simple. she'd been hurt that jason had accused her of conspiring and then hurt that he'd hidden a potential child from her. she had to admit she thought it had been her chats with both quinn and ashley that had helped but mainly she thought it was just because she missed him.
so she made his way to the door, feeling so strange that she was standing on the other side of it and not just walking into her home. she chewed her lip a little before she raised her hand to knock on the door, loud enough that he should have heard it. a few days ago she'd have knocked and then run on him but she wanted to talk to him today so she needed to glue her feet to the ground. she just hoped they'd be able to actually talk and that the feelings she'd felt the last time they'd run into each other wouldn't surge to the surface again because that was the last thing they needed. she let out the breath she was holding as she waited for him to open the door, ignoring the possibility that people could be watching through their own doors as she stood waiting for hers to open.
TWENTY SEVEN | OWNS THE GARAGE | JASON EDWARD THORNTON DEMETER THORNTON | 7 JACOB THORNTON | 0
she almost jumped out of her skin when quinn walked down the stairs into the kitchen. she'd been so lost in her thoughts she hadn't heard the footsteps and she smiled slightly when she collected herself. "how can you tell." she joked as she dug her spoon back into the ice cream and pulled out another scoop. "i'll replace this." she said as she looked at exactly how much she'd eaten from the container but it still didn't feel like it was enough. she looked up when quinn talked about the good stuff and she couldn't help but smile a little more. she always had something hidden from dem and jason at the apartment but sometimes dem could outsmart her and find the goodies. she almost cried when quinn pulled her two favourite things out of the freezer. ben and jerry. "oh you meant the really good stuff." she set aside the half eaten container she was already holding and grabbed the pish food ice cream and opened it. she did make a big mental note that she'd need to organize something for quinn for letting her stay here. arrow too but quinn mostly because while arrow had been happy to have her here, she could tell he was firmly in jason's corner. but she couldn't fault him that.
"baby wants both?" she said almost sheepishly as she looked across at quinn with a smile. she wasn't controlled by her cravings but tonight she was more than happy to eat whatever she felt like. she ran her spoon over the top of the ice cream and she smiled as quinn said she couldn't have her eating alone. "now i know where zeke gets it from." she said as she ate the ice cream off the spoon. "i don't think i've met a boy that would willingly offer to share his room with a girl at that age. let alone sleep on the floor for her." she said with a smile as she glanced towards the roof where the kids would be deep in sleep and dreaming of things far away from reality.
TWENTY SEVEN | OWNS THE GARAGE | JASON EDWARD THORNTON DEMETER THORNTON | 7 JACOB THORNTON | 0
she nodded a little as ashley suggested they sit down and she moved across to the chairs in the room, settling into one of them and leaning her arms down on the table lightly. she reached across to take one of the water bottles ashley had set down on the table and she turned it in her fingers lightly. "thanks." she said softly as she looked at the bottle. she wasn't sure what to say next but ashley had that covered as she started talking first. this was where heidi needed to bite her tongue. she understood what ashley wanted but she was sure that jason would want to know for sure. she knew him and this whole thing had blown up because he hadn't told her about josh which led her to think he was waiting for something and that could have been it. of course she wasn't going to tell that to ashley because she wasn't sure. she hadn't talked to jason about this yet and it wasn't her fight to start.
she listened to the story ashley told her and tried to take it all in as she went. so that was the reason she didn't know jason's brother. she'd always wondered but had never really pressed because jason had always made it clear it was a wound he didn't want to reopen. not in so many words but that's the feeling she got. that ashley had been the one that got away and it had been too painful to talk about it. as much as she couldn't really sit there and think he was in the right in the whole situation, she couldn't help but feel bad for him through the story. and she in no way thought he was to blame for the whole situation. it seemed there was equal fault on both sides. she nodded a little when ashley finished. "so it was love triangle." she said as she opened the bottle of water and sipped at the water. "and you chose damon?"
TWENTY SEVEN | OWNS THE GARAGE | JASON EDWARD THORNTON DEMETER THORNTON | 7 JACOB THORNTON | 0
