Sullivan is quite the romantic; he loves to love. He grew up watching his mother and father sway around their cramped living room to a harmonious melody, often without words; cheeks pressed together, occasionally whispering sweet nothing into the other's ear, covering their muffled giggles to avoid waking up the child they tucked into bed hours earlier, who was sitting quietly at the top of the staircase, like he has more times than he could track. They set the bar high without even knowing it, and because of it, love was something Sully knew he wanted and wouldn't stop until he found it. Throughout high school and college, he had a few short flings and relationships, but the only person who seemed to hold a match to the flame that kept him going and longing for more is Grace Parrish. The couple didn't have an ordinary relationship, spending more time apart from the start due to his deployment but they made it work, and when the time was right, Sully didn't hesitate to propose using the ring his mother left behind for him. …show more content…
It changes you as a person, constantly reminding you how easy it is to have your life taken in an instant — and just how evil to the core some people can be. Sully managed to make it to a small village not too far away by the skin of his teeth and a family took him in out of the kindness of their hearts, knowing the risks and the consequences of their actions. He was there for merely thirty-six hours when he was tracked down, and the one thing he was requested of in return was to take their youngest child to safety, and he did. Unfortunately, the child passed away in his arms from heatstroke and Sully wasn't even aware until they arrived to a safe haven. That's the problem with surviving, his therapist told him — returning with the ghosts of everyone left behind, riding on his back and shadowing his every