Disclaimer – The Mediator belongs to Meg Cabot. But Nicky is my creation.
Rating – K+
Summary – One-shot for 'Moments In Time'. Father D POV. Having his self-contemplation interrupted by Suze and a mischievous Nicky isn't unwelcome when Suze asks Father D something that fills him with honour to be included in something so precious.
A/N – Just a little ditty idea I had for Moments In Time, but really didn't want to have from Suze or Jesse's POV. I hope you like it, please review. :)
Honoured
As I sat down behind my desk, it was with a weary sigh.
The day was burning bright outside my office window as it always does, shining down on the heads of the children under my care and responsibility. Their laughter and happiness filling the air drifting through my open window always brings a smile to my aging face. No matter what Susannah says, I am starting to feel my age; just not yet enough for me to retire from Principal completely. Having Sister Ernestine as my co-head has been a considerable help over the years when I probably should have given up my role as to this school and embraced my priesthood whole-heartedly once again. But I feel such an attachment to the Junipero Serra Mission Academy, I know I cannot possibly leave it behind, yet have it so close.
So instead of sighing into my chair and feeling weary, all the while knowing I would be feeling as fit as a fiddle by the next day, I let the sounds of the children's innocence brighten my soul. I sat in my office like that for some time; just listening. But once the novices started quietly but firmly ushering them to their home-rooms, I snapped myself out of the daze and got back to what I should have been doing; paperwork. The itch to get back up and go walk around the grounds to put it off a little while longer entered my mind. But my conscience tugged at me and I picked up my pen to get down to work.
Until I was disturbed by the sound of little feet running towards my office door with the exuberant sounds of, "Paddy!" being called out.
I raised my head just as the door-knob started to turn and the door was pushed wide open. The sight of Nickolas-Chase running into my office with a big smile, showing his tiny baby white teeth, made an instant beam come to my old lined face too. "Paddy!" Nickolas cried out again, his little feet carrying him around the chairs sitting in front of my desk and over to me as fast as his small nineteen and half-month feet could carry him. "Paddy, I'm here!" He laughed, sticking his little hands straight out for me to lift him up into my arms. And with a laugh, I did so. His light hair ruffled beneath my hand and his dark eyes glittered with mischief as they stared back at me.
"Hey, Father D, how's it going?" Susannah asked, closing the door behind her and watching Nickolas and I with a contented smile. "Sorry to just barge in like this. He got free from my grip and toddled off before I could catch him. We're not disturbing you are we?" She asked, scanning over the papers on my desk with a critical eye and a raised eyebrow. "Actually, it looks more like we're doing you a favor judging by all that."
"Hello Susannah. You're right, the distraction is a blessed one." I sincerely greeted, turning to sit back down in my large chair; I sat Nickolas down on my desk with him facing me. His little arm waving to me. "Hello, Nickolas. It's good to see you, both."
"Paddy!" Nickolas crowed again, patting my cheeks with his small pudgy hands. "Hi!"
I chuckled and looked over at Susannah enquiringly. It wasn't long before she was answering my unspoken question. "He's trying to call you Padre like Jesse does. But he can't say it like that so he's calling you Paddy instead," She shrugged easily, fondly reaching over to run her hand through Nickolas' hair. He waved her hand off, but didn't look away from me. "It's your glasses by the way," Susannah intoned, making me break my eye contact with her son. "The reason he won't stop staring at you. It's your glasses."
Even as she said it he reached out to try and pull them off my face. "Oh!" I exclaimed, chuckling again and pulling away just in time. His little hands fell short, but he didn't look put off from it. "Oh I see. Yes - Yes I can understand why that would be," I mumbled away to myself, searching through my top drawer to find something safe for him to play with. But Susannah was soon passing over her cell phone and placing it in Nickolas' hands. "I'm sure I have something much safer and less damageable in my drawer, Susannah," I sifted through my collection of confiscated items, not finding anything suitable for young Nickolas' hands. "Ahh, no, apparently I don't."
Susannah sat back to get more comfortable in her seat. "No worries Father D, he's fine with that. He doesn't know how to play with it. He just likes the screen to light up and play with the buttons."
"Light!" He grinned, pressing the phone and holding it up to show me. "Light Paddy. Look," He repeated, thrusting the phone at me.
"That is very impressive Nickolas. You are a very clever child," I answered in awe, my hands holding him still on the desk. His complete trust in me spoke volumes as he let me catch him when he teetered forward a little too far. Part of that I knew was because he has no fear. He's too young to realize he should be afraid of such things. But I also know part of that is just because he really does trust in me to keep him safe. That thought alone warmed my heart. I looked back to Susannah seeing her complete look of understanding showing in her eyes. Her expression said what I couldn't.
That the feeling is indescribable.
"What else do you expect from Jesse's kid, Father D? Of course he's smart. He sure didn't get it from me." She reproachfully said, though her tone was filled with humor and pride. She had no qualms about Nickolas apparently taking after Jesse. But I know, just from looking at Nickolas that he will have his Mother's wit and sharp eye. I wondered if I should be concerned that I can see that in him already. My Grandmother, God bless her soul, would have called Nickolas an Old Soul. A child who has been here before. And I can't help but agree, even with my faith.
"So how are you doing, anyway? You look a bit tired," She worriedly asked, giving Nickolas a warning in a low tone when he went for my glasses again. "Nickolas."
He turned around to look at her, showing her an innocent, one dimpled smile. I saw her facade wavering before she set it firmly in place. Seeing he wasn't going to be winning that round, Nickolas turned back to look at me. "Oops, Mommy," He giggled, going back to playing with her phone. "Bad. No!" He carried on. Then much to my shock, he raised the phone above his head and smacked it onto my desk, very hard. "Bad! No!" He said again, bringing it down again and making Susannah and I jump.
"Nickolas - !" I said shocked, snapping him out of his tantrum he looked set to start and brought a finger up to his mouth. "That was naughty. You mustn't be disrespectful to your Mother's things. That's not very nice," I chastised, ignoring Susannah's creeping grin as she sat behind Nickolas. His expression wavered, looking as though he was going to cry before it changed to a seeming tantrum, until finally, he just settled with dropping his head with a pout. Peaking up at me after a while with a sorrowful look. I sighed and lifted him off the desk to sit in my lap facing me. His face soon lit with a smile. "It's nigh unbearable to tell you off, child," I sighed again. "How do your parents do it?"
"It's not exactly the easiest thing to do when he smiles at you like that. But all I have to do is imagine him turning out like me, but ten times worse, and pretend he's not adorable," Susannah slipped in, crossing her arms and shaking her head at me. "I think I'm going to have to start giving you and Jesse lessons. He gives in to easily too."
"I do not give in to easily, Susannah," I sniffed, raising my chin. "I have had years of learning to discipline children, I think I can handle one small child."
"Yeah but . . . this is my kid we're talking about here, Father D . . ." She trailed off, raising her eyebrows meaningfully.
I understood her point perfectly and promised myself I would have to work on my resolve when around Nickolas more often. Clearing my throat, I ignored Nickolas' attempts to take my glasses off again and changed the subject. "So what can I do for you both this fine day?" I questioned, picking up Susannah's phone to hand to Nickolas as he started to wriggle to get free. "I'm presuming there is a reason behind this impromptu visit? Not that it isn't welcome, because it is of course." I quickly amended as I realized how it could have come across. I grew uncomfortable as she narrowed her eyes and sat forward in her seat.
"You still haven't answered my question." She stated.
"I'm sorry?" I asked, furrowing my brows. And then I remembered her query that I looked tired and cleared my throat again. "Right, your question; I apologize, I forgot," I painfully continued, brushing aside my absent memory. "I'm fine, Susannah. I'm just a bit tired that's all. Nothing a good night's sleep won't cure me of, I assure you. There's no need to worry about me. You should be concentrating on Nickolas and yourself. Not your silly old principal." I joked, the quip falling flat judging by her eye-roll.
"How many times I got to tell you, Father D? You're not old," She firmly repeated. When she sat back in her chair, her eyes sparkling with humor I knew she wasn't finished. "Now Sister Ernestine on the other hand - "
"Susannah!"
She laughed caught Nickolas' attention. He looked up from where he was playing, his own laugh joining his Mother's. Within seconds he started to fidget and move, pulling himself up on to the desk. "Whoa, careful sweetie," Susannah quickly shot forward holding her hands out for him as he toddled towards her, ploughing across my paperwork and anything else that may have gotten into his way. I internally cringed at the creases through the papers and watched as Susannah caught Nickolas up into her arms. She looked up to see what damage Nickolas had done and cringed herself; not bothering to hide it. "Crap. Sorry Father D, he has a habit of just bombing through everything when he wants to get to something or someone."
"Oops! Crap!" He copied, smiling proudly at Susannah.
"As I can tell," I smiled, ignoring his use of language Susannah had just inadvertently taught him, putting the papers into order on my desk and out of the way in-case he decided to come running towards me again. "Now, are you going to tell me why exactly you're here or are you going to procrastinate a little more?" I benignly questioned, relaxing back into my chair and resting my hands over my robes. Susannah looked slightly uncomfortable and Nickolas picked up on it. Just like I did as I prepared to ask her what was wrong.
But she soon cleared her throat and began.
"Okay, well, if you don't want to do this, Jesse and I totally understand. Because it's all cool we just thought we'd ask, I mean you don't have to feel obligated or anything like that, because you know we can always go somewhere else. It's just Jesse and I would really love it if you could do it, you know? Because after everything we've been through and you knowing about Jesse's past and everything it just seems right. So what do you think?"
I blinked at her rushed speech, only catching a glimpse of what she was saying. "I'm sorry, Susannah you lost me somewhere near the beginning. What was the actual question?"
She took a deep breath and started again. This time, slower and more understandably. "Jesse and I want to get married. And we were wondering if you'd be the one to do it?" She asked, absently rubbing her hand over Nickolas' head soothing him to rest against her, his eyes getting heavy. It took me a couple of minutes to take in what she said. But once it did, all fatigue and weariness I had been feeling before Susannah arrived with her precious son, was gone and replaced with the feelings of rejuvenated youth. And the happiness must have shown on my expression, if Susannah's relaxed sigh was anything to judge by. "So you'll do it?"
I stood up from my chair with an exclamation. "Of course I will do it, Susannah!" I cried, startling Nickolas as I made my way around my desk to sit in the chair beside her. "I would be honoured to marry you and Jesse! This is wonderful news! Why the suddenness though? Do you have a time-frame in mind?" I asked, obvious excitement coating my voice. I have been waiting for this day to come for a long time. And honestly, I expected it a lot sooner; especially with young Nickolas. But they seemed to have had their reasons and I could do nothing but respect their wishes and bide my time.
"It just seems like the right thing to do now," She shrugged, a small content smile curving the corners of her mouth. "We wanted to wait until Nicky would be old enough to be a part of it. So the timing works out now. We're going for six months; that gives us loads of time to get it all sorted and planned. We don't want anything huge. Just something simple would be great. Jesse wanted to come and ask you with me, but he got called in to the hospital. So you'll really do it for us?"
"Absolutely! There's no question about it. I would be sad if you hadn't have asked me. I'll look through some dates for six months and get back to you with them, if that's okay? Oh you have much to plan, are you sure you can do it all within six months, Susannah? Maybe we should – "
"No, that's when we want it. Besides, Mom and Gina are on the ball with helping out with plans, so it'll be a breeze. There isn't that much to sort out," She cut me off, adamant about it. I nodded my consent and watched as Nickolas got down from Susannah's lap and toddled around behind my desk. Quickly rising from my chair before Susannah could, I rounded my desk too and caught him trying to open the same drawer Susannah used to do when she came into my office. Having seen his Mother do it on a number of occasions. "Nicky, what have I told you about opening drawers?" She lightly chastised as I picked him up and away from it.
"No!" He cried out with a grin. Then much to my shock he blew a raspberry at her.
Taking my eyes away from Nickolas in my arms laughing at himself, I stepped up to Susannah and handed him over to her, trying desperately to keep my laughter locked away. As Susannah said earlier, he is her child. He grinned at his Mother triumphantly before shining it on me when he saw his Mother's expression wasn't changing.
"Okay, it's time for a certain little gremlin to go home for a nap. Say goodbye to Father D," Susannah gently prodded, making his face fall. "Come on, Nicky, Father D has a lot of work to do. Say goodbye." She asked again, lurching forward when he held his arms out for me to take him. "I guess he wants to say a proper goodbye," She laughed, allowing me to take him into my arms again. But as he was pulling away from a sloppy cuddle, his little hand quickly reached up and pulled my glasses off, laughing all over again. "Nickolas Chase!" Susannah gasped, quickly prying his little fingers off the lenses and gingerly handing them back to me. "I'm so sorry, Father D. He gets over-excited when I bring him to see you."
"So I noticed," I chuckled. "It's perfectly okay, Susannah, I'm used to dealing with ornery children," I gave her a pointed look she had enough grace to duck her head to. "Now young man, I expect you to behave for your Mother, understand? I don't want to hear of anymore mischief from you." Nickolas gave me a solemn look before reaching back out to his Mother.
"Bye Paddy," He quietly pouted, laying his head on Susannah's shoulder. He raised a little hand and waved at me, but otherwise just stayed fiddling with Susannah's necklace.
"Thanks for the chat, Father D, I'll let Jesse know you'll do it." She smiled, reaching out to squeeze my arm before heading for the door. "And ugh, sorry about the whole glasses and paperwork thing," She cringed lightly, running a hand down Nickolas' back. "I might be back in a minute asking for a hall-pass if I bump into Ernestine again. See you later," I raised my hand and waved to Nicky peeking over her shoulder; until she stopped and turned back again. "Hey, Father D, if you need anything, or help with, you know, just ask, 'kay? I know I'm not exactly gung-ho about them, but we'll help you out."
"I very much appreciate that, Susannah, thank you."
Deeply touched by her offer to help me, I gave Susannah a genuine smile and nodded. She took that and walked on, removing herself from an awkward moment like she so often does. But I was still touched by her generosity and offer. And when I turned around to enter my office again, my smile was still firmly in place. It's sometimes surprising to see how much Susannah has changed over the years. Although she still has her moments that made me retrieve my un-opened pack of cigarettes. But having her come to me today and ask me to be the one to give the service for their wedding, I was more overwhelmed and honoured than I had conveyed. It may seem a simple request to Susannah but it meant a lot to me.
Nodding along to my thoughts, I pulled back the sheets of paperwork, Susannah's phone coming along with them. Just as I picked it up, my door opened and Susannah came bustling back in with a more wide-awake Nickolas in her arms. "I forgot my - Right, cheers, Father D! See you later!" She called over her shoulder, leaving the door open as she left, swinging her gaze left and right, obviously keeping a look out for Sister Ernestine. Nickolas waved to me over her shoulder, his own cries echoing back to me.
"Bye-bye, Paddy!"
Dropping my head from seeing a couple of students standing at my secretary's desk jump when they heard his loud cries, I tried to hide my smile at Nickolas' antics, failing abysmally in the process. It was soon turning into a chuckle as I tried to hold it back and I gave up trying to sign something, dropping my pen to my desk and sitting back in my chair to gaze out the window again. One thing I was sure of as I let my mind wander to more enlightening things; it is very difficult to feel old with Susannah and Nickolas around me.
A real treasure to hold.