I know I should be doing something else, but I had to return to my true love, Wolflet. So here's a modern AU. Remember to review!
Scarlet was only eighteen when her grandmother was diagnosed with Alzheimer's. By then she had reached stage three of the illness, and had a hard time remembering to do simple tasks and people's names. Her condition quickly deteriorated, until she couldn't dress herself properly and rarely remembered what she'd eaten for breakfast. Luc lived with them for a short time to "help out" but after Scarlet caught him trying to pawn off some of her grandmother's old jewelry and threatened to shoot him, he left and never came back.
By Scarlet's twentieth birthday her grandmother had to be moved to a full time care facility. The healthcare costs were mounting quickly and she had to cut two of the three full-time farm laborers, as well as pick up extra delivery work whenever she could find it. When that still wasn't enough she finally broke down and put the two extra rooms in her farmhouse up for rent.
The first few applicants were all creeps, except for one young woman who had to back out of the deal after finding another job in the city. She reached out to her few remaining friends, and Émilie was the only one who got back to her with anyone. Apparently one of her regulars, a guy who worked at the VA in the city, was looking into moving to the country for cheap. He seemed like the perfect candidate, he had a steady job and no previous record, and the moment Scarlet saw him she was certain it would work out. He was at least six foot, and had eyes like fresh green grapes. She could tell he was a soldier from his walk, but his hair had grown long enough that he couldn't have been in the field for a few months. He was handsome, but she didn't get the feeling that he was particularly arrogant. Èmilie said he was shy, and she didn't doubt it. He was exactly the kind of person she could put up living with.
And then she saw the toddler wrapped around his leg.
"Hello," he stuck out a hand and she shook it, still in shock over the child. "I'm Ze'ev, we spoke over the phone?"
"Right! Sorry, you didn't mention..." the little boy stared up at her with a pair of grape-green eyes.
"The kid? Sorry, I don't like disclosing too much about him over the phone. We had a break-in a few weeks ago and I can be a bit…paranoid when it comes to his safety. Is the house kid-friendly?"
"Well it's a farm, so there's basically no crime around here except for the odd chicken theft. The closest school is twenty miles west, but you can be there in under a half hour if you take the highway. But I should warn you, I managed to hurt myself pretty badly as a kid. There's a lot of dangerous tools lying around...and my grandmother had a habit of leaving a loaded shotgun by the door."
"I've had plenty of experience with guns, was your grandmother a Winchester woman?"
Scarlet smiled. "Mossberg, actually. She says Winchester guns are designed to look pretty and wear out faster."
"And you?"
"Handguns are more my style, though I don't use mine outside the shooting range."
"I'm guessing you like the maneuverability of it."
"How'd you know?"
He covered the boy's ears. "I used to keep a handgun in my bedside drawer before the little guy started crawling and getting into things."
"How old is he?"
"Max?" the little boy raised three fingers proudly. "Actually he's two, we're still working on numbers."
"Is he bathroom trained?"
"Nearly, he still sleeps in diapers though. He's just a bit shy right now, he'll usually talk your ear off if you let him. Say hi, Max."
"Hi," the boy mumbled, dropping his head onto Ze'ev's shoulder.
"There's a daycare center right near where I work, so he'll only be here when I am too. I hope he won't be a problem."
Scarlet sighed. "As long as you can pay rent you can do whatever you want."
"So…I can move in?"
"If you want to, you haven't exactly seen the rooms yet."
"Right!" he blushed and rubbed his neck. "Sorry, you're the first person who hasn't turned us away."
"The people around here aren't too kind to strangers, I still get weird looks for my accent."
"What accent?" he smiled cheekily.
"You're funny. Come on, the rooms are upstairs."
Any thoughts? Reviews are great!