Meeting Max's Mom

Disclaimer: I don't own any of this.

"Dad?"

Bellamy looked up from the freshly prepared lasagne and gave his son a questioning look. Max Blake was seated at the kitchen island, his homework spread out in front of him. His flop of unruly black curls was falling across his dark eyes but the tapping of the pencil on the blank notepad made it clear that he was more alert than he looked.

"What's up kid?" Bellamy asked as he opened the door of the preheated oven. Max seemed to hesitate so Bellamy quickly put in the dinner to cook. Then he gave his full attention to his son. Leaning his arms on the kitchen counter across from his kid, Bellamy grinned.

"What? Do you need help with history or something?"

Max shook his head. "No...actually English. You see, the teacher gave us this report to fill in and... I need you to tell me how you met Mom."

"I'd rather shoot myself in the foot."

Max rolled his eyes and dropped the pencil on the notepad. "I'm serious Dad! The whole class needs to write this family report. And this is my easiest assignment compared to the maths and my literature essay."

Bellamy quickly glanced at the sheets and books on the counter. They were all neat and completed, except for the English. He couldn't keep up with Max sometimes. According to the specialists, Max was crazily advanced for his age. He was only nine but could do high school level work. And yet he still got excited when he heard the ice cream truck. The point was that Max got a mix of school work in order to help his brain but not overwhelm him. So while his maths may have been complex, he still had to do reports like all the other nine year olds.

"Just tell me the story ok? That's all-the teacher is the only one whose going to see it," Max reasoned.

Bellamy winched anyway and gritted his teeth. He didn't want to brag but he was a good dad alright? Max was doing pretty great. He had a roof over his head in a nice, spacious house. They could afford two cars and the kid wasn't dressed in rags. He even stopped himself from punching Max's soccer coach when he yelled at the kid last season.

But who Bellamy was before his son...before he dated Max's Mom? Now that was a totally different situation. Max looked insistent, that same determined look Bellamy saw on his own face when he looked in the mirror.

"We only have an hour until dinner," Bellamy said but Max just looked excited.

That's plenty time!"

"It's a long story really."

"I have the patience."

"There were other girls before your Mom and I'll have to include them."

"Duh!"

"I'll even have to re-tell some things that your Aunt Octavia told me in order for the story to make sense."

"Great! It'll give my story realism."

Bellamy sighed at his son's happy face. "You are too smart sometimes, you know that right?"

Max just gave him the Blake family smirk and nodded. Bellamy dragged the other stool over and sat down on it heavily. He stared at Max who just looked ready to jot down whatever he said. "One thing that you'll learn as you get older Max is that people change and it takes other people to help inspire that change. You make your own choices but you can't do it all by yourself. There were at least three girls that helped me become the person I am today and your Mom was one of them."

Max raised an eyebrow and replied, "Three girls?"

"Don't judge me-I was young."

"Don't be melodramatic Dad-you still are young."

"You are now getting ice cream after dinner. But back to the point; I wouldn't have ended up with your Mom, if I hadn't dated these three girls."

Max frowned, the pencil stilling in his hand. "But you said Mom was one of the three. So what, you doubled back or something?"

"Can you not say it like that? It makes me sound tactless."

"You are tactless Dad; that's why we have a swear jar."

The offensive-and half full-jar practically laughed at him from the top of the fridge. "Anyway, I just wanted to warn you that this won't be a simple story."

That didn't seem to bother Max one bit yet his self-assurance could have come from just winning the argument. Even Bellamy could find some joy in telling his son how he met the love of his life. His wife's face flashed before him and a grin threatened to show. But he held it in the best he could. Bellamy sighed one last time and began.

"Alright, you extortionist, here we go. Chapter 1-."

"Chapter 1? This thing has chapters?" Max whined.

"Yes because my love life is a fascinating study, with your Mom as the main subject. Now shut up and write this down. It all started when I first met Raven..."

So this will be a short story with drabble like chapters. Hope you enjoy!