Moore Info: I guess you can say that I'm back, although not fully. It's been forever since I last posted here on fanfiction. The Army has taken over my entire life, which is good, trust me. I feel like a whole new person than who I was before. My one year mark is coming up soon and I'm STILL in training FML! Why I decided to choose one of the hardest military jobs that required a lifetime of training, I'll never know, but I wouldn't change it for the world. I'm loving what I do. However, because of this, I haven't had the time to sit down and write like I use to be able to do. And when I do find some, I do not have the patience to just SIT there and do it. Military has me acquiring ADD, I swear. Anyways, I'm still working on my other FICS don't worry. I just have to get some of my mojo back. Until then, this is my 'when my brain hurts from thinking too much' fic. It's also my little trip back down memory lane as Rocket Power used to be my shit.
All mistakes are mine.
Chapter One
Quinn was in the backseat of her mothers car as they made their way from Seattle (where she is from) and towards a beach town in Southern California called Ocean Shores, after two days of driving. Waiting for them there in Ocean Shores was the new husband of her mother, Judy Fabray, and his children. His name was Raymundo Rocket and his two young kids, Reggie and Otto, were respectfully four and two years older than her eight years.
Judy met him through an online dating service a little over a year after she finally divorced from her cheating husband, with whom she'd been separated from for over two years. After emails were exchanged, where they both expressed their mutual interest in the other, Judy and Raymundo swapped numbers and dated through emails and over the phone for a full year before they finally decided to meet in person.
This said meeting took place just two weeks ago when the Anglo-Polynesian man flew to Seattle. The next day, after their first official meeting, Raymundo Rocket married Judy Fabray.
While all that was going down, Quinn stayed with her aunt because Judy did not want to personally introduce her to the man just in case he was not who he said he was. Considering how Judy married the man after only twenty-four hours of officially meeting him, it was safe to say that the man was who he claimed to be.
Four days after the impromptu wedding, Quinn finally found out about their marriage when her aunt finally dropped her back off home. By then, Raymundo had already left to return to California and his kids. When Judy finally did tell her, she had sat her down and explained that she was in love with Raymundo and that they'd be moving to Ocean Shores, California to live with him.
Though she never did get the chance to meet the man before he went back to California, she had spoken with him on the phone a handful of times when he and Judy had still been their dating phase. Those moments had been awkward to say the least; mainly because Quinn herself was an awkward child. She always has been.
Though she was tall for her age, she was a bit over weight and kept mostly to herself majority of the time when surrounded by people she was not familiar or comfortable with.
With Raymundo being a complete stranger who so happened to date her mother, Quinn never knew what to say to the man whenever he'd try to engage her in conversations while over the phone. The most he'd get would be mumbled, monosyllabic replies that left him awkwardly clearing his throat before he'd attempt to tell a really corny joke to make her laugh.
It rarely worked. Though, the few successful times had left him feeling quite good about himself.
"You're going to love it there, honey. I promise." her mother said to her as she captured her daughter's hazel eyes through the rear-view mirror. They were an hour away from Ocean Shores. "Just look, baby! California is such a beautiful state –always so sunny, nothing like back home in Seattle. And Ray tells me that Ocean Shores is a beautiful town as well, Quinnie. We'll even be living really close to the ocean! How cool is that, baby?" Judy tried to engage her quiet daughter, who only continued to look at her through the rear-view before going back to reading her Captain Underpants book that hovered over her face as she lay along the back seat.
Judy sighed with one last lingering look through the rear-view before going back to focusing on her driving. She wont be getting a response from Quinn –not now, at least. Not when the girl was scared for what the future held. And if she were being honest, she was as well. Marrying a man that she's technically only know for a month (a year long exchange of emails and phone calls none with standing) wasn't exactly something she would normally do, as it was not in her nature. However, the man made her feel things that her ex-husband never even came close to achieving.
Judy just hopes that after some time Quinn will come around and see Raymundo as a father, and his children as her new siblings –something the blonde child has never had before. She hoped that she would get along with them well enough, as Quinn was not particularly great with other children. Like how she was with Raymundo over the phone, she never knew how to act.
Quinn has always been like that, and if she hadn't already checked with a specialist. She'd think Quinn had some form of Autism. She didn't, though; she was just really reserved. Sometimes Judy thought it was her fault that Quinn didn't know how to properly interact with other children, as she was an only child. And by the time Quinn was four, her and her ex-husband had separated, so the blonde child felt a bit of mistrust towards new people who entered her life, afraid to get too attached just in case they'd up and leave her like her father, who has maybe only seen his daughter a handful of times since the divorce had been finalized.
An hour later, they finally drove past the 'Welcome to Ocean Shores' sign. Thirty minutes later, after going up a steep incline, they were turning into a cul-de-sac where four homes sat. The Rocket home was the one to the right. It was a two story house with a sloped, teal colored roof with a large back porch that resembled the deck of a wooden ship.
Parked outside the house by the curb, and filled with all of her and Quinn's things, was a large movers truck that Judy had sent ahead of them earlier that week. In the driveway, and in front of a portable green metal garage, was a vintage 1962 Mercury car. Behind the garage, and along side the house, was a homemade half-pipe that skateboarders used.
"Well, honey. Here we are." Judy stated as she parked along side the curb and in front of the movers truck before turning off the car. Quinn, who had sat up upon first entering Ocean Shores, couldn't deny that the beach town was pretty. Everything felt different and the cool air that came in through the windows smelt just like the ocean that was not too far from the house.
Judy turned in her seat to look back at her daughter. "Quinn, honey," she began, "I know that you're not too thrilled about all of this, but I promise being here will be good for us." she told her daughter as she reached back to caresses the girl's blonde locks, in which she loved on her daughter. "I just ask that you at least try to make an effort to get to know Raymundo and kids, okay? Can you do that for me, baby?" Judy asked hopefully.
Taking in the woman's beseeching eyes, Quinn nodded her head as she mumbled out an, "okay, I'll try," making her mother beam as a result.
"Thank you, sweetie." Judy said with another stroke of her daughter's hair before saying, "Now, let's go and meet everyone, shall we?" She then got out of the car before opening the door for her daughter, who slowly got out of the car.
After making their way towards the front door, where Judy gave Quinn the privilege of ringing the doorbell, Judy nervously took her daughters hand with her clammy one after readying herself by taking in a few deep breaths.
A few moments later, the door opened to reveal a tanned skinned man who was none other than Raymundo Rocket. A green fishing hat sat on top of his blonde head, while a white shirt covered his torso and plaid-blue swim trunks displayed his hairy legs. A beaming smile immediately graced his handsome, scruffy face at the sight of Judy. Without prompt, he brought Judy into an enthusiastic hug with his equally hairy arms.
"Judes!" Ray exclaimed before kissing the blushing woman's lips, a weird sight for the awkwardly standing Quinn. She's never seen anyone kiss her mother on the lips before, not even her own father. Her parents relationship was practically already over by the time she came along. In fact, her birth had been a last-ditch-effort to salvage things.
Quinn guessed she didn't mind the kissing so much if it meant that her mother was as happy as she appeared to be.
"Oh, Ray." Judy giggled (another weird experience for Quinn) as she gave her husband a light, playful slap the mans stocky chest.
"I can't help it!" Raymundo boomed with a laugh. "I missed my wife," he passionately proclaimed. Judy's blush deepened at his words.
"Well, you don't need to miss me any longer. I'm here now."
"I'll always miss you, Judes. Even if you're across the room." he replied with sincere eyes.
Judy swooned. "You're quite the smooth talker, Mr. Rocket."
"There's more where that came from, Mrs. Rocket." he said with a wink. Judy melted at the use of her new surname.
"Little cuz!" Raymundo said to Quinn once he finally brought his eyes and body away from his love, removing himself from the woman in order to drop down to the girls height. He stuck out his hand for Quinn to shake. And after staring at it for a moment, she shook it. He smiled. "I've been pretty stoked to meet you."
"Me too," Quinn replied lowly, mindful of her mother's previous request. Ray beamed, thinking that he was finally making some kind of progress with the child after their awkward phone conversations.
"How are you liking Ocean Shores so far? Better or worse than Seattle?" he asked the girl, who only shrugged in reply. Perhaps he had spoken too soon.
Judy put an arm over Quinn's shoulder as she pulled the girl into her body. "She's a shy one." Judy told him. "But once she gets comfortable around you, she'll be showing her true colors in no time." At least she hoped so.
"Aw, hopefully it'll be soon. I'm actually a pretty cool guy." Ray said with a smug look that told Quinn that he was anything but cool, especially after the way he tried to do some kind of 'hip hop' hand gesture with both of his hands. A small smile cracked upon Quinn's lips at his silliness. Ray took this as an accomplishment and gave himself a mental pat on the back.
"And my kids, Otto and Reggie, aren't too bad either." he added as he stood once again with a slight wince and a crack of his knees. He was getting old.
Otto and Reggie; Quinn was more nervous to meet them than she had been their father.
Kids usually didn't like her much because she tended to keep to herself. She didn't do this on purpose (well, most of the time anyway) but because she just didn't know how to interact with them after only having herself to entertain for the first five years of her life; she didn't attend a pre-school as her aunt had taken care of her during the day while her mother worked. She didn't really begin to interact with other children until she finally entered elementary school.
Raymundo's kids were her new step siblings. If they didn't like her, then she'd have to— quite literally—live with that.
"Speaking of; are they inside?" Judy asked her husband with a peek inside the house as if they were hiding just inside. "I'd really like to meet them. They both seamed charming from what I gathered during those times I've gotten to speak with them over the phone."
"They get it from me, obviously." Ray joked. Judy rolled her eyes good-naturedly. "But no, Judes. They went out about an hour ago to catch some waves before the party tonight. They'll meet us at the Shack later on tonight." he informed them.
The Shore Shack is a small diner that was located right on the pier. You'd never know that the man before them was a business owner if you looked at him, but he was. He also owned an even smaller surf shop that was located in the corner of the Shack. All and all, Raymundo Rocket made decent money; enough to allow him and his children to live comfortably with the option to let loose every now and then.
"That's OK. I'm pretty tired from all the driving. It would probably be best if we were to take a quick nap before the party later on." Judy said.
"You do look wiped out." Ray said in concern. "I wish you would've let me drive you guys down here."
Judy shook her head. "I wanted some bonding time with my baby." she said as she rubbed at an embarrassed Quinn's back. Raymundo chuckled at her flushed cheeks, reminiscing on the many times his own mother (who had died quite some time ago) would show him such affection in front of others.
"Alright, then. What are we still standing here for? Come inside! This is your home now." he said enthusiastically to them both as he stepped aside for the girls to finally enter the house before entering himself.
The Rocket home was definitely not as big or as expensive as the museum like home Quinn had previously lived in since her birth. But unlike her childhood home, this home was warm and very much lived in.
There was a long, L-shaped violet couch that was against the back wall of the living room, in which they immediately stepped into upon entering the house. It was well used and looked to be really comfortable. It faced a boxed TV that had a DVD player resting on top, with a few uncovered discs on top.
The pistachio colored carpet under their feet had more than a few stains, and the coffee table couldn't really be called a coffee table, as it was actually an old wooden surf board with two shark bites on either end, on opposite sides (which Quinn found to be awesome).
And the pictures that decorated the walls were either of the beach, ocean, or of one or all of the Rockets in such settings.
"So? What do you think?" Raymundo asked, a bit self-conscious as he was well aware of Judy's lavish lifestyle with her previous husband, who was apparently some top-notch layer in Washington, D.C.
Judy gave him a reassuring smile. "It's lovely. I love it." she said truthfully. Ray relaxed at her words as he returned her smile.
"How about a quick tour of the rest of the house before your nap?"
"That would be nice." the woman said before taking her husband's outstretched hand.
"Obviously, this is the living room." Ray said with a hand gesture. "Straight ahead," he said, following his own directions by taking them to the open, rectangular doorway that was in between the L-shaped couch and the stairs that led up to the second floor. ", is the kitchen," which was very bland in color.
The tiles were checked with teal and a dark tanish color, and all of the appliances were outdated and white in color. The table was metal and circular in shape with its restaurant style, and it only had two wooden chairs tucked into it. And next to the refrigerator was another door that led into the laundry room.
Judy made a mental not to redecorate the kitchen (a place that had been sacred at her old home) as this definitely would not do.
Ray took them back out and into the hallway that was past the stairs. He opened the first door to the right that was directly under the stairs.
"Guest bathroom," he simply said before moving on to the other door at the end of the hall and to the left. "Master bedroom,"
It was moderate in size and had a queen sized bed on top a mahogany bed frame. You could tell that the room had been recently (and thoroughly) cleaned as it still smelled of cleaning products, and vacuum lines were still visible on the carpet.
"There's a full bath through those double doors over there," Ray pointed out.
Judy turned to him with an amused smirk. "Very good job on the cleaning, honey. I'm impressed." she chuckled at his embarrassed blush.
"I aim to please, Judes." he joked back as he brought them back out. "Come on, there's more upstairs."
Upon reaching the second floor, he took them to the first door to the right that was the same color as the rest of the doors in the house; teal.
"This is Otto's room." he said before opening it.
It was junky.
The room had a faint smell of the ocean (which could either be from the dirty swim trunks that were on the floor, or the wind that came in from his partially opened balcony door) and there were clothes every where, especially on top of his vintage, sky blue car bed. There was a desk that was littered with forgotten homework and magazines, and there were posters all over his walls of pro surfers, skateboarders, and snowboarders that Quinn knew nothing of. Medals hung on the walls as well, along with shelves that were full of various trophies.
"Oh...my." Judy said as she took it all in. "You can certainly tell a boy lives in here." she decided on.
Ray let out a chuckle. Not too long ago, his own room could have rivaled his sons. "I told him to pick it up before he left, but..you know how kids are." he said with a shrug.
Judy nodded her head in understanding. Though Quinn didn't act out much, she did have her moments.
Raymundo then went on to show them the bathroom that Otto and Reggie shared before taking them to Reggie's room.
Without a balcony, Reggie's room was a bit larger than her brother's and it also had the faint smell of the ocean. However, unlike her brothers, it was clean and had a more feminine vibe, despite the posters of pro surfers and the many trophies.
"Much better," Judy commented with a pleased nod.
"Yeah, Reg is the neatest out of us when she's not working on some kind of project." Ray said before turning to Quinn, who (as usual) had been quiet throughout the whole tour as she took in everything that was her new home. "Now all that's left is your room, little cuz." he told her before bringing them all back downstairs and to the living room. He took them to the only door (besides the sliding doors that led to the back deck) that he's skipped. It faced the L-shaped couch and was to the left of the TV.
"We don't have any spare bedrooms around her." Ray said apologeticly. "And I didn't want to make you share, so I got a little help from the kids and my best friend Tito—we got everything cleared out below deck for you." he explained before opening the door to reveal a set of stairs that went down, to the left, then straight down again.
Upon reaching the bottom, Raymundo flipped on the newly installed lights to illuminate their surroundings. The room was 'U' in shape as they were directly below the house's back deck. Because of this, there were wooden support beams going up to the ceiling, along with eight six portholes, four on each side, serving as windows.
A futon was resting in its couch position on a small platform at the top curve of the room, making the room appear to be more spacious. Also present in the room was a desk with a lava lamp on top, a single chair pushed under it, and a couple of red bean bag chairs.
"There's also a restroom in the corner of the room, there." Ray said with a point in its direction, which was to the right of where the stairs were. "Only a toilet and sink, though. You'll have to use the shower upstairs if you want to clean up." he informed the eight year old. "Um, is all of this okay with you." he asked Judy. "I probably should have asked you first about her being down here by herself. I don't want you to think I'm making this into an out-of-sight-out-of-mind situation.'Cause if you're not cool with it, her and Otto can switch. He seemed a bit jealous that she'd be sleeping in here once we cleared everything out. He wouldn't mind."
Judy appeared a little apprehensive at the idea of her daughter being down here by herself, but decided it wouldn't hurt. She'd just have to make sure it was OK with her daughter.
"What do you think honey? Do you want to sleep down here or switch with Otto?" she asked before making her final decision.
Quinn was quick with her response. "I want to sleep here." She really liked the idea of it. It was her own little club house, in a way
"Are you sure" Quinn nodded. "Well, if that's what you want, then I guess I'm fine with it." Judy said.
"Awesome," Ray commented with a pleased smile. "It'll start looking more like your room once we unload all of your things tomorrow."
After that, Judy suggested that Quinn take a nap before the party at the Shack, in which Raymundo's friends were throwing to welcome her and Quinn; as well as to celebrate her marriage to her husband. The man went over and showed the blonde child how to transform the futon into its bed form before Judy tucked her in with the spare blanket Ray had quickly gotten for them.
"Have a nice nap, little cuz." Ray wished her after Judy had kissed her child's head. He and Judy then went back up to the main floor for a nap of thier own 'nap.'
Moore Info: If you don't know by now, I like to build my stories.
More to come.
Next Chapter: Quinn meets her new Siblings